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NHL Teams are always looking for a defenceman with size, strong skating, and the ability to quarterback the powerplay. This year they should look no farther than Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans in the WHL. Smith, the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft really broke out this past year. He put up 11 goals and 43 assists for 54 points in 68 regular season games. Smith has added a goal and two assists for three points in five playoff games so far. He was also part of Team Canada’s squad at last summer’s Ivan Hlinka tournament. Smith put up three assists in the five game tournament, helping Canada to bring home the gold medal. Smith also played for the CHL squad at this year’s prospect challenge series.
Jackson Smith 2025 NHL Draft Scouting Report
Left Defence — shoots Left
Born May 13th, 2007 — Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 6’3″ — Weight 190 lbs [191 cm/86 kg]
Skating
Smith is an excellent skater. His mobility is a big part of his game and allows him to be effective in both ends of the ice. He has an outstanding first step, great acceleration and excellent speed in both directions. Combined with excellent edgework and agility, as well as pivots that allow him to switch from moving forward to backward smoothly and quickly and Smith has the mobility to cover a lot of ground. He can push the pace offensively and still get back to cover up defensively.
Smith is strong on his skates and fights through checks and wins battles on the boards at the junior level. He understands how to use his leverage and balance to clear the front of the net. As a 17-year-old, he’s still a bit slight. However once he adds muscle to his frame, he should be able to play this type of game against pros.
Offensive Game
Smith’s skating allows him to push the pace offensively. He is a very good stickhandler and can use a number of slick moves to carry the puck through the neutral zone and create effective zone entries. He also is willing to join the rush and create offense that way. Smith has very good vision and passing skill. With his slick hands and lateral agility he can walk the line to open up passing and shooting lanes. He is an extremely creative player, willing to try plays that most defencemen wont even think about. He has the ability to pull fans out of their seats at any time.
Smith could stand to work on his shot. He is more likely to use his wrist shot than his slap shot right now. He can sneak in from the point and use it from the top of the face-off circle, getting it off with a quick release. Smith could stand to add more power to both the wrist and slap shot though. This may come as he continues to bulk up and and get stronger. When he does take a shot, he does a good job of keeping it low and getting it through shooting lanes. This allows his teammates to create screens and get to the front of the net for deflections and rebounds.
Defensive Game
Smith’s defensive game is a bit of a work in progress. His skating ability allows him to maintain good gap control and keep his man to the outside. With his size and explosive first step he can catch an attacker with a huge hit if they come down his side of the ice. He also does a good job of keeping them to the outside and away from the front of the net on the rush. Smith’s athleticism is outstanding. However, he still needs some refining in the finer points of the game. He can sometimes get too focused on the puck or making a big hit and lose his man. He also can be prone to a bad giveaway from trying to do too much offensively. There is a lot of good here, but there will need to be refinement before he’s ready for the pro game.
Projection and Comparison
Jackson Smith projects as a future top-pair defender who can log big minutes and play on the power play. He will need some time and some work on rounding out his defensive game and getting stronger, but if he can put it all together he has the potential to be a franchise defining defenceman. Every successful team needs the type of defender who can start the transition game and run the power play. Smith probably needs another year or two in junior before making the jump to the pro game, but the ceiling here will have NHL teams intrigued. His game is reminiscent of P.K. Subban, but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill or ability.
Main Photo: Joe Camporeale- Imagn Images
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