| C. J. Smith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped2).jpg) Smith at the 2018 AHL All-Star Game | |||
| Born | (1994-12-01)December 1, 1994 (age 30) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| AHL team Former teams | Charlotte Checkers Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes JYP Jyväskylä Barys Astana | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Connor Jeffrey Smith (born December 1, 1994) is an American professionalice hockeyforward who is currently under contract with theCharlotte Checkers of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL).
Smith grew up playing hockey inDes Moines before moving with his family toMinnesota when he was 14.[1]He played college hockey forUMass Lowell ofHockey East for three seasons while majoring inchemistry.[2]In his freshman season at UMass, Smith was named to theAll Hockey East Rookie Team after he led the team with 16 goals, 19 assists for a total of 35 points. He also became the first River Hawk rookie sinceScott Wilson in 2011 to score 30 points in a season.[3] On April 21, Smith and Zack Kamrass were awarded the UMass Lowell Hockey Most Valuable Player Award. Smith was also awarded the River Hawks Rookie of the Year.[4]
In his sophomore year, Smith was named to theHockey East All-Tournament Team and won the River Hawks leading scorer award.[2] He recorded his first careerhat trick in an 8–1 win over Arizona State on January 30, 2016.[5] In the2016 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Smith helped Massachusetts–Lowell beatBoston University in the Quarterfinals to advance to the Semifinals and eventually the Championship.[2] UMass lost in the Championship match against Northeastern 3–2.[6]
In his junior year, Smith was named a semi-finalist for the Walter Brown Award as the best American-born college hockey player in New England.[7] The River Hawks won the2017 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament and Smith was named to the All Tournament Team and Tournament MVP.[8] On March 29, 2017, Smith chose to forgo his senior year at UMass and signed as an undrafted free agent by the National Hockey League'sBuffalo Sabres.[9]
Smith made his Sabres debut on April 2, 2017 in a 4–2 loss to theNew York Islanders, in which he also got his first NHL point with an assist on a goal byEvander Kane.[10] When Smith made his debut, he became one of only two players in league history to have been born in the state ofIowa, joining goaltenderScott Clemmensen.[11]
Smith played the2017–18 season with the SabresAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theRochester Americans. In his rookie season with the Americans, Smith was named to the 2018AHL All-Star Classic on January 4, 2018.[12] On July 16, 2018, Smith signed a one-year, two way contract with the Sabres worth $874,125.[13]
Smith began the following season with theRochester Americans after being cut from the Sabres training camp.[14] On January 8, 2019, Smith scored his first NHL goal in the second period against theNew Jersey Devils.[15]
As a free agent after five seasons within the Sabres organization, Smith was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 28, 2021.[16]
On August 2, 2022, Smith was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with theNew York Rangers.[17]
On November 20, 2023, Smith signed a one-year contract withJYP Jyväskylä of the FinnishLiiga.[18]
In the following2024–25 season, Smith moved to theKontinental Hockey League, in joiningKazakh based club,Barys Astana on June 28, 2024.[19] He made just 9 appearances with Barys, going scoreless, before opting to mutually terminate his contract. On January 20, 2025,Adler Mannheim of theGerman Ice Hockey League announced it had signed Smith to a try-out contract.[20]
His try-out with Mannheim ended after Smith opted to return to North America and sign a contract for the remainder of the season with the Charlotte Checkers, the primary affiliate to theFlorida Panthers, on January 24, 2025.[21]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Academy of Holy Angels | USHS | 25 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 2011–12 | Austin Bruins | NAHL | 53 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Austin Bruins | NAHL | 60 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 46 | 23 | 17 | 40 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | UMass-Lowell | HE | 39 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | UMass-Lowell | HE | 40 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | UMass-Lowell | HE | 41 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 57 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 62 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 50 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 15 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 60 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 21 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 33 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Barys Astana | KHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| HE All-Rookie Team | 2015 | |
| HE All-Tournament Team | 2016,2017 | |
| HE Honorable Mention All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| HE Tournament MVP | 2017 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2017–18 | [12] |
| Calder Cup champion | 2022 | [22] |