sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Nathan Smith is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a member of United States national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1]

Nathan Smith
Born	(1998-10-19) October 19, 1998 (age 24) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team	Arizona Coyotes Tucson Roadrunners (AHL)
National team	United States
NHL Draft	91st overall, 2018 Winnipeg Jets
Playing career	2022–present

Playing career

Smith was a high-scoring forward in junior hockey, leading the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders for two consecutive years. Despite being taken by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2018 NHL Draft, he remained in juniors for another year before beginning his college career. He debuted for Minnesota State in 2019 and provided second line scoring for a team that was ranked #1 for a time during the season. Minnesota State entered the postseason as one of the favorites to contend for a national title, however, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Mavericks season to come to an abrupt end.[2]

After the end of his freshman year was cancelled, Smith's sophomore season was delayed by over a month. In spite of the upheaval, Smith put up good numbers and finished second on the team in scoring. In the Mavericks first game of the NCAA Tournament, they found themselves down 1–3 with under 10 minutes to play. Smith scored to cut the lead in half and began a tremendous comeback by MSU that left to the program's first tournament win at the Division I level.[3] After scoring a goal in Minnesota State's 4–0 win over Minnesota, he added two more on the power play against St. Cloud State in the national semifinal. While it wasn't enough to get the Mavericks a win, it did earn him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

At the start of his junior season in 2021–22, Smith began scoring in bunches. By the end of December, he was leading the nation in scoring.[4] He would finish the season, placing second in league-wide scoring having registered 19 goals and 50 points in 38 games with Minnesota State. He helped the Mavericks reach the Frozen Four championship game against the University of Denver and was a Hobey Baker top 10 finalist.

On March 21, 2022, Smith's NHL rights were traded by the Jets, along with the contract of Bryan Little, to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round draft pick.[5] At the conclusion of his junior season, Smith was immediately signed by the Coyotes to a two-year, entry-level contract on April 11, 2022.[6] One day later on April 12, 2022, Smith made his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils.

International play

In the midst of a standout junior collegiate season, Smith was as a prime target for the United States national team when the NHL announced that it would not be sending its players to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.[7] Less than a month later, Smith was named to the team.[8] In a fifth-place finish with Team USA, Smith contributed 1 goal and 2 points through 4 games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016–17	Aberdeen Wings	NAHL		4	1	1	2	18		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL		51	17	30	47	84		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL		59	18	35	53	81		4	0	1	1	12
2019–20	Minnesota State	WCHA		35	9	18	27	37		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Minnesota State	WCHA		28	9	16	25	16		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Minnesota State	CCHA		38	19	31	50	43		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Arizona Coyotes	NHL		10	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				10	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2022	United States	OG	5th		4	1	1	2	2
Senior totals					4	1	1	2	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
WCHA All-Rookie Team	2019–20	[9]
All-WCHA Second Team	2020–21	[10]
NCAA All-Tournament Team	2021	[11]
CCHA Forward of the year	2021–22	[12]
All-CCHA First Team	2021–22
AHCA West First Team All-American	2021–22	[13]

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Award Created	CCHA Forward of the Year 2021–22	Succeeded by Incumbent

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