He is the leading scorer of the Boston Bruins, he has since become the Bruins top finisher on the power play and 2 and a half months ago, he was completely unknown.
Like many other Canadian boys, Reilly Smith was raised in a hockey rink skating with pewee, bantam and junior teams for the first 18 years of his life. He was however, shot down as he looked to bust into the world of big time amateur hockey thus spending 3 years in minor Toronto based leagues before making a far from illustrious jump to the roster of the Miami RedHawks based in Oxford Ohio.
College hockey has always been a strange venture for Canadian hockey players as given their culture the stranded blueprint for how to excel in the nations favorite sport often necessitates a 4-5 year stint in the OHL or CHL followed by a selection in the draft and an infusion into an NHL team’s system. In the minds of many, collegiate hockey seems like career killer. Smith however thought otherwise.
“I really enjoyed the whole college lifestyle – it’s more laid back. Being able to get an education while playing hockey is pretty cool." Smith said to a Dallas Stars reporter back in March of 2012. He played better than he had ever played in his life with the RedHawks scoring 68 times in 121 games with the club. It was that sudden ability to put the puck in the back of the net that attracted the attention of a Dallas Stars team that in 2010-2011 scored the 4th fewest goals in the NHL and was in desperate need of a potent goal scorer.
Smith was drafted 69th overall in 2009 and made his NHL debut during the 2011-2012 season. It was not much but it certainly was a start.
“It’s an absolute dream come true. I’ve put in a lot of work to get up to this level, so right now I am just trying to act like a sponge and take everything in. I’m just here to have fun and contribute.” Smith said during that same online interview with the Stars. Furthermore, he recognized the differences between college and the NHL knowing that his 185 pound frame could lead a decreasing of his scoring output. "The speed of the game will be a challenge. It’s obviously going to be a lot faster and a lot more physical. When you are playing with guys that almost 20 years older than you, there’s going to be a period of adjustment. There will be a mental side to it as well, but I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
Smith would be demoted within weeks of his debut in 2011 but he had since gotten a taste of NHL action that he desperately wanted to turn into a feast.
Sadly, that opportunity to do so seemed like it might never come as the irregularities in his game made the Stars skeptical of his abilities as a starter. In his only major stint in Dallas, Smith scored just 3 times in 37 games. However, as a situation in Boston rapidly developed that lack of a future was reversed.
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| Smith with the Stars |
As his 3rd season since being drafted 2nd overall by the Bruins came to a close, Bruin winger Tyler Seguin began to fall under question. There was a suspicion that the star was immature and reports came out detailing situations where the Bruins origination had to station guards outside of Seguin's room during their 1st round series with the Leafs in an effort to keep him from partying late at night. Furthermore, Seguin's lack of professional respect was shown by a team source writing that Seguin had shown up to team meetings on 3 straight days wearing the same dirty t-shirt as the day before. Even during games, roomers of Seguin's immature qualities ran rampant as during that miracle Game Seven comeback against the Leafs he was said to have ignored the orders of his coach and jumped on the ice prior to Bergeron's OT, Game Seven winner.
Management conducted a 'sit down' with their star forward and from there it was clear that his days in Boston were numbered.
"I definitely heard the rumors," Seguin said during a conference call. "When the trade was announced, I don't know if I was surprised. As far as the professional comments, I talked with Peter about it right after the trade happened. I come to the rink every day and act professional and work my hardest. My first three years so far have been a big learning curve and I look forward to getting better every day and I'm more motivated coming to a great city like Dallas."
Tyler Seguin was never fit for Boston and for that reason he was traded to the Dallas Stars on July 4th 2013.
As first reported by ESPN Boston's Craig Custance "The Bruins sent forward Tyler Seguin, center Rich Peverley and defenseman Ryan Button to the Stars for forward Loui Eriksson and prospects Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow.”
You notice that the topic of this article was listed as 'prospect' in that sentence on ESPN meaning that for Bruins fans, the only name they really cared about was that of Loui Eriksson. Eriksson had scored 150 goals in 7 seasons with the Stars and had scored 25+ goals in 4 of those 7 seasons.
"Loui's a big, strong skating, left-shot right wing," Chiarelli told the Bruins' official website following the trade. "He can play both sides, but he would be playing right wing for us. He's had four [straight] seasons of 25-plus goals. We got a real good two-way player. It's been well-documented; we've got to rebuild our right side so he's the first piece. We are going to have a couple younger guys challenging him. We may go out and get another guy, too."
There was excitement regarding Eriksson but as the season progressed the Bruins soon realized that they would have to look beyond the poster boy of the Boston half of the trade in order to find a positive in it.
As Eriksson struggled to find the net and he fell victim to a duo of brutal concussions, his former Stars teammate, Smith began his accent to greatness growing his following as well as his goal tally.
Now while it is difficult to pinpoint the point during the season in which Smith officially clicked it seems like the Bruins 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars would be a fair candidate for such a distinction. Prior to that, Smith's 14th game as a Bruin, he had scored just 1 goal while assisting on 5 others while in the 14 games following it, Smith caught fire tallying 3 goals and 5 additional assists. He was beginning to shine and yet it was this December string of excellence that finally made us realize that the biggest benefit the Bruins got out of the Seguin trade was not Eriksson.
"Just look at the stats," Claude Jullian said acknowledging Smith's unsuspected importance to the team. "He's been a real good player for us. He's a young player that's probably not been overlooked but kind of been in the shadow for a long time and he's emerged with us here. He's played a big role for us. He's a real smart player. He's creative, has good hockey sense and makes good plays. We're really happy. We talk about getting Loui Eriksson in that trade, but I think [Smith's] another key asset in that trade, as well."
"We always seem to overlook his age and he's a young player," he later said. "And the way I think he's handled himself in pressure situations, handling the puck a little bit better and holding onto it. And at the same time, I thought tonight he shot the puck a little bit more; he had a little bit better of a nose for the net and before, [he was] looking to make plays versus shooting the puck. So he's really turned a corner and is really coming along well for a young player."
To this point in the season, Smith has scored 12 goals and is tied with Milan Lucic for the team lead. However one of the biggest weapons he has provided the Bruins with has been his power play capabilities. On 4 different occasions this season, Smith has scored on the power play as in situations like that he utilizes a quick release wrist shot to beat goaltenders. However the 8 goals he has scored during 5 on 5 play this season have come as a result of more than quick reflexes.
"That's a high-pressured situation as a forward and he looks great back there," first line winger, Jarome Iginla said of the man he spends a lot of time watching from the bench"Then 5-on-5, him, [Chris Kelly] and [Carl Soderberg], they seem to be getting better and reading off each other. [Smith's] one-on-one skills, he seems to beat one guy a night going down the wing. … It's great, another young guy who is in high-pressured situations, but he's enjoying it and thriving in it. He looks very confident there."
Smith has an uncanny ability to shove pucks in-between the skates of opposing defenders as the hand eye coordination he exhibits by making some of the NHL's best defenders look foolish is a kind that in most cases takes years to develop. Furthermore, once he beats a defender, Smith who, as mentioned before weighs just 185 pounds has shown on multiple occasions his ability to brace against opponents and simply power his way into a shooting position. As recently as December 14th, Smith simply held the puck with 1 hand on the stick and released a goal scoring shot right as he barreled into Vancouver goaltender, Roberto Luango.
Reilly Smith was all but invisible in the Western Conference and yet as we revel in the glory of his current goal scoring ability it still seems ridiculous that prior to the season there was no hint of how great this kid really is. Reilly Smith is no longer a prospect and on this day in December, he is an All Star that no one and I mean no one saw coming.
“This is the first time he’s gotten a good shot at playing at this level and making sure he has the opportunity to play in the areas we feel he can excel in,” said Claude Julien. “He’s done a great job."
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