Last season, Smith captained the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos to their best regular season in seven years and led the team to their first playoff series win since 2002.
This year, Zack Smith is making a big splash in his first season of professional hockey as a rookie with the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators.
The 20-year-old from Maple Creek, SK, who appeared in six playoff games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose last year, has notched five goals and six points in his first five games of the season for the Senators, helping the team to a solid 4-0-0-1 start to the 2008-09 season, and has brought his strong work ethic and solid two-way play to the next level.
Passed over in his first two NHL draft-eligible seasons, Smith finally heard his name called when the Ottawa Senators selected him with their third-round pick (79th overall) at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft after putting up a 22-goal, 69-point campaign while leading the Broncos to a 41-24-1-6 record in 2007-08.
Envisioned as a strong checking center in the Ottawa Senators’ future plans, the 6’2”, 199-lb pivot is also showing he can put the puck in the net, and has already created a buzz as a potential call-up to the NHL at some point this season.
Catching Up With…Zack Smith
On the start to his pro hockey career…
“It’s been good. I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone. I had a pretty good (training) camp in Ottawa and stuck around until the end. Things have been going good down here in Binghamton, too, and I’ve gotten off to a good start. Our team has also gotten off to a great start, which has made it that much better.”
On the adjustment to the AHL…
“I got a little taste of what it was like in the spring when I played with the Moose in the playoffs, and got a good feel for what to expect. Mostly, it’s getting used to the speed, skill and size of the players up here. The game moves much faster and plays happen much quicker at this level, so you have to be aware. Having that experience from the playoffs with Manitoba helped me out a lot in preparing for this year, so the transition has been pretty good.”
On his experience at the Ottawa Senators’ training camp…
“It’s pretty unreal. I don’t think I ever really pictured it happening. You find yourself playing alongside guys like Dany Heatly and Jason Spezza and some of the other guys on that team, and it was pretty eye-opening. The guys were so nice to me, and were always taking you aside and giving you tips on how to improve your game.”
On how he’ll get to the NHL…
“Well, the reason I was drafted by them was to become a checker and play a good defensive game. They want me to focus on playing hard and consistent, and try to be a tough player to play against. I know I need to work on getting stronger to win those battles, and work on getting quicker. Basically, I’m going to do whatever it takes for me to be able to succeed at the NHL level.”
On keeping up with the Broncos…
“I still keep in touch with a few of the guys, now and then, and I talk with Dean Chynoweth. I know they have had a good start to the season. I think they are building off what we managed to do last season. We had a good regular season and won a playoff round last year, which was important in building some confidence and learning what it takes to win. They have some good, young players who seem to be playing well. Hopefully they can keep it up through the rest of the season, and have a longer playoff run.”
Jesse Watts
whl.ca
Photo Courtesy Just Sports Photography |
