They can close their gap and push him to the outside quite easily. In this start to the season, Smith has generally struggled to separate from the opposition both in open ice and in close quarters.ĭefenders don’t have to retreat when he attacks off the rush. He hunches over and lacks ankle flexion, which means that he has to expend more energy to get to top speed and maintain it. In reality, Smith is your typical USHL skater. I thought it projected as NHL average based on the mechanics, but the zoomed-in cameras of high-school rinks fooled me. I probably overrated his skating in my draft review. As he pivots one of the top two lines, if he starts generating more consistent offence (and tightens up defensively), we could see the entire team take a leap forward. Smith can be a big part of the solution for the team. The team spends a bit too much time playing with a man down and has trouble keeping the puck from entering the net. The Stampede currently stands in last place of the Western Conference of the USHL.

They are no longer big fish in a small pond anymore everyone around them is talented.Īctually, in the case of Smith, the players lining up in front of him are often more skilled than the ones beside him. It takes time for players to adapt to the increased speed of the USHL. That was the perfect scenario, but a bit of an unrealistic one. He was about the same age as Smith is now.Īll this to say that, yes, Smith could already be taking commands with the Sioux Fall Stampede, rewarding the Habs brass’s confidence with immediate results. And Jack Gorniak, currently in the middle of a breakout year in terms of production with the Wisconsin Badgers, didn’t score in his appearances with the Lincoln Stars in his draft year. Minessota Hockey himself, only managed three points in 10 games with the Sioux City Musketeers last year (that’s the number of points he averaged per game with Hermantown High). Jack Smith isn’t the first star high-school scorer to struggle early on as a USHL rookie. Each week we take an in-depth look at young members of the organization while providing an overview of Habs prospects playing at the Junior (OHL, WHL), and collegiate (NCAA) level.

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