A strong forechecking forward with a heavy wrist shot and a willingness to park himself in front of his opponent's net, Smith-Pelly played a key role in the Washington Capitals' run to the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Despite playing mostly in a bottom-six role, Smith-Pelly had seven goals, including two game-winners, in 24 games. He scored once each in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Smith-Pelly, who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 42) of the 2010 NHL Draft, has proven to be versatile, capable of filling a top-six role as an occasional point producer and protector of smaller teammates, or a bottom-six checking forward.

But Smith-Pelly's background is that of a scorer, and he's had runs in the NHL where's he been among his team's top offensive players, including during the 2015-16 season, when he had 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 18 games after being acquired by the New Jersey Devils in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.

A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Smith-Pelly established himself as a scoring threat during the 2007-08 season, when he scored 38 goals in 85 games for Toronto of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Smith-Pelly advanced to the major junior level a year later, joining Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 153 points (78 goals, 75 assists) in 184 games during three seasons. He made the jump to the NHL during his first professional season, becoming the third-youngest player in Ducks history to appear in an NHL game when he played in the 2011-12 season opener against the Buffalo Sabres in Helsinki at the age of 19 years, 3 months and 23 days.

He also led Ducks rookies in games (49), goals (seven), assists (six), points (13), shots (66) and total time on ice (590:09).

Smith-Pelly spent the next two seasons mostly in the minors, but returned and played 54 games for the Ducks in the 2014-15 season before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 24, 2015.

On Feb. 29, 2016, Smith-Pelly was traded to the Devils. He became a free agent after the 2016-17 season and signed with the Washington Capitals on July 3, 2017. Smith-Pelly finished with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) while averaging 12:21 of ice time in 75 games for Washington in the regular season.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Traded to Montreal by Anaheim for Jiri Sekac, February 24, 2014.
• Traded to New Jersey by Montreal for Stefan Matteau, February 29, 2016.
• Signed as a free agent by Washington, July 3, 2017.