Gemel Smith

History

2009-10: Smith played for the North York Rangers midget AAA team in Ontario. In 52 games he scored 31 goals with 51 assists. He was selected by Owen Sound in the sixth round (120th overall) of the 2010 OHL Priority Draft.

2010-11: Smith skated in 66 of 68 games for the OHL champion Owen Sound Attack as a 16-year-old.  He scored 8 goals with 8 assists and was plus-eight with 14 penalty minutes.  Owen Sound finished first in the Midwest Division with the OHL's second best record and defeated Mississauga St. Michael's in overtime in the seventh game of the league championship series. Smith played in 21 of 22 playoff contests and was plus-one with 1 goal and 2 assists. In four games at the Memorial Cup he had no points and was minus-one with 4 penalty minutes.  Owen Sound was 1-3 in the Memorial Cup; losing to Kootenay in the tie-breaker game after shutting out the Ice earlier in the tournament.

2011-12: Smith was the third-leading scorer for Owen Sound in his second OHL season and won a bronze medal playing for Canada at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. He scored 21 goals with 39 assists and was plus-nine with 51 penalty minutes in 68 games for the Attack. Owen sound slipped to third in the Midwest Division and lost to Kitchener in a first round playoff series. In the five-game series Smith scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was plus-one with 10 penalty minutes.  In seven games with Team Canada he scored 2 goals with 3 assists and was minus-one with 2 penalty minutes. Canada defeated Finland in overtime in the bronze medal game. Smith was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and ranked 37th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

 

Talent Analysis

One of the fastest players in the 2012 draft class, Smith is an energy player that makes the Energizer Bunny look like a tortoise.  He’s an annoying player, constantly in the opposition’s face, and despite his lacking size, he’s physical and tenacious.  His feet never stop moving and he wins a lot of battles by that virtue.  He’s a noted forechecker that can fly back to cover defensively as well.  He’s going to score mostly off the turnovers he forces because he doesn’t possess elite offensive skills by any stretch of the imagination.  He has some good passing ability but won’t score any goals from far-out because of a lacking shot.  He needs to add strength, but not at the cost of his speed.  Will probably be better suited as a wing at the next level.

Potential: Bottom-six energy player, like a quicker version of Stephen Gionta.

 

Future

Will return to the Owen Sound Attack (OHL) in 2012-13.