A strong, forechecking forward with a heavy wrist shot and a willingness to park himself in front of his opponent's net, Smith-Pelly came to the NHL as a second-round pick (No. 42) of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Smith-Pelly has proven to be a versatile winger, capable of filling a top-six role as an occasional point producer and protector of smaller forwards or a bottom-six checker.

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) in 18 games after coming to the New Jersey Devils in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 29, 2016.

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 78 goals and 153 points in 184 games across three seasons. He made the jump to the NHL during his first pro 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, 2 months and 23 days.

Smith-Pelly also became the second youngest player to score a shorthanded goal in Anaheim history, when he scored against the Nashville Predators on March 18, 2012, at the age of 19 years, 9 months. 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, returned to the Ducks on a full-time basis for the 2014-15 season, and he was traded to Montreal after playing 54 games.

On Feb. 29, 2016, Smith-Pelly was traded to the Devils, who signed him to a two-year contract on July 1, 2016.