Smith was picked up on a two-way deal by the Hurricanes after going 1-6-1 with a 3.54 GAA and .888 save percentage in 10 appearances for the Avalanche last season. Given how poorly the 28-year-old’s first taste of NHL action went, he'll almost assuredly spend the season in the minors barring an injury to Scott Darling or Cam Ward. The 2007 second-rounder never really panned out and is unlikely to ever make a difference at the NHL level.
With last year’s top backup Niklas Svedberg having left the Bruins organization, the No. 2 goalie spot behind undisputed starter Tuukka Rask is wide open. Unless the team signs another veteran option, Smith’s in-house competition on that front is slated to be former first-rounder Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre, the latter who turned pro after a stellar 2014-15 season with the University of North Dakota. Unless Subban -- who split work with Smith for AHL Providence in 2014-15 -- dazzles this preseason, he figures to be best served by another season of regular action at the minor-league level, where he compiled a 2.44 GAA and .921 save percentage in 35 contests with Providence. For some perspective, Smith posted a 2.05 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 39 games last year while working in tandem with Subban. At the age of 26, Smith has an obvious edge in terms of pro experience, and if he holds off both Subban and McIntyre to claim the B’s No. 2 job behind Rask, he’d attain a measure of fantasy value, though the big club’s offseason personnel changes leave questions as to what level of offensive and defensive support the team’s goalies can expect in 2015-16.
24-year-old goalie Jeremy Smith already has 171 minor league games under his belt, and provides organizational depth for the Blue Jackets.
Smith played 42 games for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL last season, posting a 23-15-2 record, along with a 2.63 GAA and 0.899 save percentage. He will need much more seasoning in the AHL before he even gets a sniff of action at the NHL level. He's currently behind Pekka Rinne, Mark Dekanich and Chet Pickard on the Preds goaltending depth chart, and therefore has no real fantasy value at this time.
Smith was Nashville's 2nd round selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft. He failed to meet expectations between the pipes at Plymouth last season, posting a 23-13 record with a 2.86 GAA. Smith did have a good showing at the 2008 World Junior Championships, so there is hope that he can continue to develop his skills. He will be one of the most-watched goalie prospects in the Preds farm system this season.
Smith was Nashville's 2nd round selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft. He collected a 23-6-1 record last season at Plymouth of the OHL. Smith's 2.59 GAA and .923 save percentage underscore the fact that he was the top rated prospect goalie in North America in 2007. Smith will continue to develop his skills in the minor leagues this season.
Smith was the top-ranked goalie by Central Scouting for this year's draft and despite his diminutive status (5-11 and 160 pounds), he is a solid player. Like all butterfly specialists, he's very hard to beat low. But unlike most, he can actually already control rebounds well. He has trouble tracking pucks in traffic, probably because of his size, so he'll need to work extra hard to overcome that. And he does need to work on challenging the shooter, but that will come in good time. He's a good depth netminder for the Preds; time will tell if he can be a fantasy player, though.
