Pistons produce first NHLer

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This article was published 21/01/2021 (2106 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When asked, Steinbach Pistons head coach and general manager Paul Dyck will tell you that their goal with the Pistons is to positively develop young men, both on and off the ice, and to give them an opportunity to play at the next level.

And that is certainly the case with Cole Smith, the former Pistons standout that made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators last week, becoming the first regular member of the Pistons to do so.

Smith, 25, a native of Brainerd, Minnesota, cracked the taxi squad of the Predators this season, and in fact was inserted into the Predators line-up in their season opener.

The big forward had only 5:57 of ice time in the game, a 3-1 Predators victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, but that experience will be etched in his memory for a lifetime.

Smith, 6’3”, 195 lbs, spent two seasons with the Pistons, in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

In 92 regular season games for the Pistons, he garnered 84 points, including 38 goals. He played another 27 playoff games over the two seasons for the Pistons, as they went deep both years, totalling 13 goals and 13 assists in those 27 games.

In his second season with the Pistons as a 20-year-old he was a dominant player with 61 points, including 26 goals in 54 regular season games. He added another seven goals and 18 points in 15 post-season games as the Pistons lost a tough final series to the Portage Terriers that year.

 to whether he could see any signs when he was the Pistons that Smith could one day possibly play in the NHL, Dyck says actually he could. “We did see those signs, with his athleticism, his motivation and how committed he was, he set the bar when it came to work ethic.”

“When he left our team and went to the University of North Dakota, we felt that he could be the first player from our program to play in the NHL.”

Smith spent four seasons with the UND Fighting Hawks at Grand Forks, one of the perennial top teams in NCAA Division I hockey. In 137 games overall at UND he had 24 goals and 51 points and was assistant captain of the Fighting Hawks in his final season last year.

He was subsequently signed by the Predators organization last May to a contract that pays him close to $800,000 US on a two-way contract when playing in the NHL.

Dyck says he has stayed in contact with Smith since he left the Pistons, and would see him at UND on occasion.

There is another close connection between Paul Dyck and Cole Smith. Sandy Smith, also from Brainerd, is the uncle of Cole Smith. Dyck and Smith were roommates for two years while playing in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. “As a matter of fact I was in Sandy’s wedding party,” said Dyck. Sandy Smith was also a scout for the Pistons for two seasons.

The fact that Cole Smith was one of six former MJHL players to make the roster of NHL teams on opening day this year certainly speaks for the quality of play in the MJHL.

One of those six players was NHL veteran defenceman Travis Hamonic, a native of St. Malo, who is in his first year with the Vancouver Canucks. Hamonic, who played for the Winnipeg Saints in 2006, is into his 11^th NHL season, spending his first seven with the New York Islanders and the last three with the Calgary Flames.

Speaking of the Nashville Predators and Cole Smith, there is yet one more connection to St. Malo, as another St. Malo native, Dan Lambert, is an assistant coach of the Predators.

The four other MJHL players to crack opening day NHL rosters, are: Zach Whitecloud – Virden Oil Capitals (Vegas Golden Knights); Brady Keeper – OCN Blizzard (Florida Panthers); Wyatt Kalynuk – Virden Oil Capitals (Chicago Black Hawks); and Travis Zajac – St. James Canadians (New Jersey Devils).

Dyck says the fact that there are so many MJHL players making it to the NHL, particularly in the last five or six years, certainly speaks well for the league. “And we could have more in the coming years as there are a few former Pistons now at the college level and beyond that could make it as well.”