Speaking of which, his parents, Pete and Nancy, even traveled from Colorado to see him sport his new threads on the South Shore.
The couple runs a construction company in the Denver suburb of Parker.
"They had smiles on their faces the whole time taking it all in, just like me, taking in everything that the city and the organization had to offer," explained Smilanic. "My parents are the reason I am where I am today, so being able to put on a Canadiens jersey and enjoy that moment with them was amazing. Having them there meant a lot because of all their support and time they've committed to me."
As for the deal that ultimately brought Smilanic to Montreal, the youngster couldn't be happier.
He's hoping to contribute down the road.
"I was pretty pumped to say the least," mentioned Smilanic, who learned of the transaction during the ECAC Tournament in Lake Placid, NY. "I see the young core they have, the young talent they have, and I was really excited to add to it."
That "young core" includes former Badgers star Cole Caufield.
And there's already some familiarity between them since they were members of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) at the same time.
Smilanic also skated with the 2021 Hobey Baker Award winner several times this summer when he visited his brother, Brock, in Madison.
"I was with the Under-17s when he was with the Under-18s and he had his historic year and scored 72 goals," said Smilanic. "I think of myself as a goal scorer, too, and he's one of the best young goal scorers in the world, so to be able to watch him from a close point of view when I was only 17 was huge. I watched a lot of his game, just what he was able to do and how he was able to score."