RALEIGH, N.C. - Last March, the Carolina Hurricanes made headlines when they traded for Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. What perhaps went under the radar, however, was their acquisition of Ty Smith in that same deal.
The 24-year-old, who led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with 43 points in 63 games last season, remained with the American Hockey League club for the remainder of the campaign, but put pen to paper with the Canes on a new one-year, two-way deal this summer to further establish himself as a Hurricane.
Finally arriving in Raleigh for the first time since the trade, Smith is eager to make his mark during training camp.
“It’s been exciting with a fresh start here," he said. "They’ve treated me really well here since the start, and it’s an exciting group to be a part of. Carolina’s been a good team for a while, they’re really competitive and trying to win the Stanley Cup, so it’s exciting to come here and try to push for a spot on the team and contribute to that.”
Smith's "fresh start" comes on the heels of a couple of AHL campaigns after logging 123 games in the NHL with New Jersey and Pittsburgh. Still an emerging talent, the 17th-overall selection in 2018 brings a fascinating pedigree to the Canes organization.
At 15, he went first overall to the Spokane Chiefs in the 2015 WHL Draft. Five years later, he arrived in the NHL as the reigning CHL Defenseman of the Year, two-time WHL Defenseman of the Year and gold medalist at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. His star continued to rise as a rookie in New Jersey, earning a nod to the 2020-21 NHL All-Rookie team alongside names like Kirill Kaprizov, Jason Robertson and former Hurricane Alex Nedeljkovic.