It was a moment that was caught on camera while in Winnipeg and the Devils preparing to travel to Switzerland for the NHL Global Series. Smith gave himself the flight from Winnipeg to Spokane to feel the made about being cut from the NHL roster, but once the plane touched down "I had to flip the switch" he said.
"It was tough to get cut. But at the same time it was kind of motivating. I know that I have stuff to improve on and once I got off the plane and back into Spokane I had to flip the switch and stop being mad about [being cut]. You keep it in the back of your mind, but be happy that I've got a good team in [Spokane]."
And 'flip the switch' he certainly did. Smith's season with the Spokane Chiefs ended short of a championship, but on a personal level, he took major strides with his game. He was awarded the Bill Hunter Trophy as the WHL's Defenseman of the Year after a year with seven goals and 62 assists in 57 games. His 62 assists lead all WHL blueliners. Smith also quarterbacked the WHL's top power-play unit and logged 31 points with the man-advantage.
"I think it was definitely tough to be cut," he said. "[It's] not something you want but at the end of the day when I got to go back to Spokane and play lots of minutes and be a guy used in all situations and relied on pretty heavily and a leader on the team I think that definitely helped my development and will help me for the future, I think."
When development camp wraps up, Smith will head back to the Vancouver area where he has been working with Ian Gallagher, father to Montreal Canadiens assistant captain Brendan Gallagher. Along with Brendan, Smith works out in the gym with the elder Gallagher who the owner and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Delta Hockey Academy.
"I think working out with his dad, his dad is pretty cool," Smith said. "He's pretty hard on us. Since I'm living with [Brendan], we're at his dad's place for dinner pretty often because we're not very good cooks. His mom's cooking for us. Now that he's pretty close with me, I think he's really keying on me in the gym and making me work that much harder. So I think that part of things is really good for me and I guess as far as living with him, he's probably the most competitive human I know. So, it's pretty good to be around. It can be frustrating at times because I like to win, so it's frustrating when I lose [to him] but it's definitely good to be around all the time and see what a pro acts like away from the rink and in the summer."
