Stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com and eliteprospects.com.
Next up on my list is forward Gemel Smith! Smith appeared in three games for the Bruins last season after being claimed off of waivers from the Dallas Stars, over which he failed to produce a single point. Before being placed on waivers, he played in 14 games for the Stars, through which he tallied two goals and one assist. He then appeared in 47 games for the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, in which he recorded 16 goals and 24 assists. Finally, he played in two playoff games for the P-Bruins, through which he failed to put up a single point. Drafted in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Stars, Smith has appeared in 80 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 11 goals and nine assists. He’s also played in 233 career AHL games, through which he has produced 51 goals and 75 assists. The 25-year-old center and wing signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason, and he had previously only played for the Bruins and Stars organizations over his three season NHL and five season professional career.
Smith was picked up off of the waiver wire by the Bruins midseason, and although he didn’t play much with the big club, he lit it up down in Providence with 40 points in 47 games. He’s yet to be able to stick in the NHL for very long over his career, but he’s been great at the AHL level. He’s a really versatile and hard-working player whose skating has greatly improved in recent years to the point where what was once a weakness is now a strength. He’s not going to wow you with any particular skill, but overall he’s the type of player that coaches like to have due to his style of play, versatility, and willingness to play whatever role he’s asked to. Despite not playing much in the NHL last season, he proved to be a valuable pick-up for the Bruins organization as he played a major role in the P-Bruins making the playoffs. He also created better internal competition throughout the entire organization, which is always a bonus.
Obviously, the Bruins can’t expect anything out of Smith next season except that they’ll play against him at most four times, but here’s what Lightning fans can look forward to. He will likely spend most of his time with Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, next season due to the fact that he’s 25 and yet to stick in the NHL and the Lightning are an incredibly deep organization. But, he may see some time with the big club when injuries inevitably hit over the course of the season. When he is in the NHL, he’ll most likely bring the same things he has over his previous stints in the league, which are versatility and the ability to play up and down the lineup as well as in a shutdown role. If he’s in the AHL, he’ll bring those same things but he’ll most likely also put up a lot of points given he produced at nearly a point per game rate during his time with the Providence Bruins last season. But, I guess Lightning and Crunch fans will just have to wait and see where he ends up and what happens over the course of this upcoming season.
Hockey Addict 