Ben Smith
Smith with the EHC München in May 2022
Born (1988-07-11) July 11, 1988
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
DEL team
Former teams		 EHC München
Chicago Blackhawks
San Jose Sharks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Avalanche
Adler Mannheim
Rögle BK
National team  United States
NHL Draft 169th overall, 2008
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2010–present

Benjamin Alexander Smith (born July 11, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for EHC Red Bull München in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.

Smith was a member of the Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup winning team.

Playing career

As a youth, Smith played in the 2001 and 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the New York Rangers minor ice hockey team.[1]

Smith graduated from Westminster School in 2006[2] and played four seasons at Boston College, helping the Eagles win two national championships. While playing for BC, Smith was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 169th overall in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Smith playing with the Rockford IceHogs in January 2012

On October 29, 2010 the Blackhawks recalled Smith from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs to make his NHL debut in a home game against the Edmonton Oilers.[3] He scored his first NHL goal on April 8, 2011 against Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings. On April 15, 2011, Smith scored 2 goals against the Vancouver Canucks in a 4–3 loss in only his second NHL playoff game.

On Sunday, April 24, 2011, during Game 6 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, Smith scored the overtime goal on a rebound against the Vancouver Canucks' goaltender, Roberto Luongo, to force a Game 7 in Vancouver after the Canucks had previously been leading the series 3–0. The Blackhawks ended up losing Game 7 in overtime.[4]

Smith with the Chicago Blackhawks in December 2014

On June 17, 2013, Smith was called up to play his first Stanley Cup Finals game, a 2–0 loss to the Boston Bruins, to fill in over the injured Marián Hossa.[5] The Blackhawks won the Cup on June 24, 2013, when they defeated the Bruins in Game 6. On June 27, 2014, the Blackhawks signed him to a two-year contract extension.[6] In the following season, Smith scored four goals in 19 playoff games to help the Blackhawks advance to the Western Conference finals.[5]

On March 2, 2015, Smith was traded by the Blackhawks to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Andrew Desjardins.[7] He scored his first goal with the Sharks the same day in their shutout game against the Montreal Canadiens,[8] but remained for most of the season with the Sharks' AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda.[5]

On February 27, 2016, Smith, Alex Stalock and a conditional 4th round pick in 2018 were traded by the Sharks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for James Reimer and Jeremy Morin.[9]

Despite putting up acceptable numbers with the Maple Leafs, Smith was placed on waivers by the team on March 30, 2016. Smith cleared the following day and was assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.[10] Despite being considered to be favourites to win the Calder Cup, the Marlies were eliminated in the third round of the playoffs, with Smith contributing nine points in their fifteen-game run.

On August 16, 2016, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Colorado Avalanche,[11] worth $675,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 at the AHL level.[12] Having made the Avalanche opening night roster, Smith made his debut with Colorado to start the 2016–17 season in a 6–5 victory over the Dallas Stars on October 15, 2016.[13] Smith would play in four scoreless games for the Avalanche before being placed on waivers and being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 24, 2016. Smith was claimed due to the depth he provided the team on the penalty kill, a position coach Mike Babcock praised him for during his stint the previous season in Toronto.[14]

In the 2017–18 season, he won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies, serving as team captain.[15] On June 15, 2018, he signed with Adler Mannheim of the German DEL.[16]

After a second stint with Adler Mannheim, Smith remained in the DEL, agreeing to a one-year contract with EHC München on May 10, 2021.[17]

Personal life

Smith was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Avon, Connecticut.[18] Smith is the first player born in the state of North Carolina to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Smith's younger brother played Division I soccer for William & Mary. His uncle is Canadian conductor Peter Oundjian.[19]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Boston Jr. Bruins EJHL 32 10 18 28 0 — — — — —
2005–06 Westminster School HS-Prep 26 23 35 58 12 — — — — —
2005–06 Boston Little Bruins 18U AAA 26 14 24 38 6 — — — — —
2006–07 Boston College HE 42 10 8 18 10 — — — — —
2007–08 Boston College HE 44 25 25 50 12 — — — — —
2008–09 Boston College HE 37 6 11 17 6 — — — — —
2009–10 Boston College HE 42 16 21 37 8 — — — — —
2009–10 Rockford IceHogs AHL — — — — — 3 1 0 1 0
2010–11 Rockford IceHogs AHL 63 19 12 31 16 — — — — —
2010–11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 6 1 0 1 0 7 3 0 3 0
2011–12 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 13 2 0 2 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Rockford IceHogs AHL 38 15 16 31 10 — — — — —
2012–13 Rockford IceHogs AHL 54 27 20 47 13 — — — — —
2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 75 14 12 26 2 19 4 2 6 2
2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 5 4 9 2 — — — — —
2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 19 2 3 5 0 — — — — —
2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 6 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2015–16 San Jose Barracuda AHL 14 8 2 10 4 — — — — —
2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 16 2 4 6 0 — — — — —
2015–16 Toronto Marlies AHL 5 4 2 6 0 15 2 7 9 2
2016–17 Colorado Avalanche NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 2 2 4 4 — — — — —
2017–18 Toronto Marlies AHL 73 27 32 59 10 20 7 9 16 0
2018–19 Adler Mannheim DEL 52 11 24 35 6 14 7 7 14 2
2019–20 Adler Mannheim DEL 52 20 25 45 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Rögle BK SHL 10 1 3 4 6 — — — — —
2020–21 Adler Mannheim DEL 33 12 15 27 6 6 2 4 6 0
2021–22 EHC München DEL 44 16 16 32 14 11 5 4 9 6
2022–23 EHC München DEL 43 17 18 35 4 18 5 7 12 6
NHL totals 237 29 25 54 8 27 7 2 9 2
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2015 Czech Republic

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2005 United States U18 5th 5 2 2 4 0
2015 United States WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 2 0 2 0
Senior totals 10 2 0 2 0

Awards and honors

Smith receiving the Calder Cup as the captain of the Toronto Marlies

On May 2, 2017, Smith agreed to a one-year extension to remain with the Maple Leafs.[20]

Award Year
College
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 2008, 2010 [21]
NCAA Men's Division I Championship (Boston College) 2008, 2010
AHL
Second All-Star Team 2018 [22]
Calder Cup champion 2018 [23]
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2013 [24]
DEL
DEL champion 2019, 2023 [25]

References

  1. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ "THE STANLEY CUP VISITS WESTMINSTER". westminster-school.org. July 16, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Blackhawks recall forward Smith". Chicagobreakingsports.com. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Smith's tally keeps Hawks alive". Fox News. April 24, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Pinchevsky, Tal (June 5, 2016). "For N.H.L.'s Black Aces, It's an Opportunity in Spades". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Blackhawks agree to terms with Smith, Raanta". Chicago Blackhawks. June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Blackhawks trade Ben Smith to San Jose for Andrew Desjardins". Chicago Sun-Times. March 2, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Montreal Canadiens at San Jose Sharks - 03/02/2015". Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Maple Leafs trade goaltender James Reimer to Sharks". Sportsnet. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Leafs place Ben Smith on waivers". The Leafs Nation. March 30, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Avalanche Signs Ben Smith". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Avalanche Signs Ben Smith". Today's Slapshot. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Colborne scores three goals as Avs hang on to defeat Stars". CBS Sports. October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ Brownscombe, Alec (October 24, 2016). "Toronto Maple Leafs place Milan Michalek on waivers, claim Ben Smith from Colorado". Maple Leafs Hot Stove. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Captain Ben Smith, Marlies celebrate winning Calder Cup - Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Mannheim verpflichtet frisch gebackenen Calder-Cup-Sieger und ehemaligen NHL-Spieler Ben Smith". www.eishockeynews.de (in German). Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Mannheim Captain Ben Smith moves to Munich" (in German). EHC München. May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Ben Smith draft prospect profile". National Hockey League. February 3, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Molto Vivace, with the Maestro", The Agenda, 19 June 2018, https://tvo.org/video/programs/the-agenda-with-steve-paikin/molto-vivace-with-the-maestro
  20. ↑ "Maple Leafs sign Ben Smith to one-year contract". Toronto Maple Leafs. May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  21. ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  22. ↑ "2017-18 American Hockey League First and Second All-Star Teams Named". AHL. April 5, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Marlies bring a hockey championship to Toronto, win Calder Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Ben Smith player profile". The Hockey News. June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Adler Mannheim wins DEL". IIHF. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
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