Each day over the next month leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 22 in Dallas, we will be taking a look at the top 31 prospects available, starting with the 31st and leading up to number one.
Next in the series of prospect profiles is our 13th-ranked prospect, defenseman Ty Smith.
Ty Smith
2017–18 Team: Spokane (WHL)
Date of Birth: March 25, 2000
Place of Birth: Lloydminster, AB
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 175 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: D
NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 14
NHL Central Scouting Midterm Ranking: 14
NHL Comparable: Duncan Keith
Ty Smith is a prototypical modern-day mobile defenseman who, despite being undersized, uses his skating as the crown jewel of his game.
Smith is a high-end skater. He has very good speed and elite acceleration, arguably the best in the entire draft class. Smith is a very smooth skater. He uses his edges well to be able to roam the ice, both offensively and defensively. He is comfortable walking the blue line in the offensive end, allowing him to be a scoring threat.
Smith combines good hands and hockey sense with his skating ability to be an effective player in the offensive zone. He is very aware of what is happening around him, and with that, knows what to do with the puck. Smith rarely makes mistakes with the puck because he is patient enough to let plays develop.
Passing is one of Smith’s biggest strengths. He is able to make tape-to-tape stretch passes and cross-ice passes look easy. Smith quarterbacked Spokane’s power play this season, where he was able to put his playmaking skills on display. Smith enjoys distributing the puck and serves as a key cog of the Spokane offense, with the puck seemingly always going through him on every offensive possession. Smith racked up an amazing 59 assists this season, speaking to his playmaking ability.
Smith has a decent shot. His wrist shot is his best shot, though he has improved on his snapshot and slapshot of late. Smith is able to get his point shots through to the net and usually keeps them close to the ice, giving his teammates prime opportunities to deflect shots or put home rebounds.
Smith uses his top-notch skating ability to be an effective defender. He is able to cover a lot of ice because of his excellent footwork. Smith is usually able to force opposing players to the outside as a result. With his skating ability, Smith is able to quickly transition play from defense to offense, whether by skating the puck or by making a breakout or stretch pass.
Though Smith is not a very physical player, he does not mind contact and is usually able to hold his own. He needs to add strength, which would largely help in his ability to clear the front of the net and win board battles. Additional strength would also aid in developing his shot and generating more power.
Implications for the Blackhawks
Smith does not have as much upside as the other defenders who will likely be available when the Hawks pick at eight. There is no way Smith drops anywhere near the 27th pick, the next time the Blackhawks are on the clock. Unless the Hawks make a deal to pick in the 10–15 range, the second coming of Duncan Keith will not be wearing the Indian head.
Timeline
Smith needs time to get stronger. His offensive game progressed significantly this year, tallying 73 points, which is very encouraging. Still, Smith will need more time to round out his game before making the jump to the NHL, specifically defensively. He will not be able to only rely on his skating ability to be effective at the game’s highest level. Smith will need until at least 2019–20, if not 2020–21, to play in the NHL.
Projection
Smith has the tools needed to be an effective second-pairing defenseman with some nice offensive upside. He likely will not have the ability to be a go-to shutdown defender in the NHL because of his lack of size, which will likely prevent him from being a top-pairing defenseman. Still, Smith should be a nice piece who can run a team’s power play for years to come.
What others are saying
“The dynamic two-way defender continues to display his full arsenal of weapons with Spokane this season. The former first overall pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft, Smith is an excellent skater who demonstrates poise and patience with the puck. His outlets are crisp and his head is always up. He’s a player you fall in love with because he always makes the right play.”
— Cam Robinson/Dobber Prospects
“There are a lot of things to like about Smith’s game. The first overall selection in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, he joined the league full-time in 2016-17 and was solid if unspectacular as a freshman. He showed occasional flashes of excellence that season, and those flashes have become more the rule than the exception during an exceptional 2017-18 campaign for Smith. He more than doubled his points from his rookie season and nearly tripled his goals output – he finished second in the WHL in scoring by a defender, behind only Medicine Hat’s David Quenneville (who’s two years older). He even had a seven-point game against Prince George in February. The difference in Smith’s game from last season to this one boils down to a couple intermingled factors: experience and confidence. He was able to figure out what did and didn’t work on both sides of the puck as a rookie, and he’s adapted his game to compensate. As a result, he has a lot more confidence in terms of judging risk offensively and is much better at anticipating trouble defensively. He still occasionally over-commits with the puck and has to scramble back to cover odd-man rushes, but those are fewer and much more far between than last season’s Smith saw.”
— Ryan Pike/The Hockey Writers