Family values, integrity and player development are principles Dave Smith has lived by since getting into coaching nearly 30 years ago.
When the 56-year-old native of Arthur, Ontario became interested in the Rapid City Rush’s head coach and general manager vacancy, it didn’t take long to discover the two had similar philosophies.
After moving on from Scott Burt, now the head coach of the expansion Greensboro Gargoyles, the Rush named Smith the fifth head coach in franchise history on June 23. He joins the team with 27 years of coaching experience, all at the NCAA Division I level.
“The values I’ve been operating under have been family discipline, integrity and commitment,” explained Smith, who most recently served as head coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York for the last eight seasons. “I saw those things in the behavior and actions of the Rapid City organization.”
"They Want To Win"
As important as those values are, so is the desire to win. Smith realized right away he would get the support and resources he would need to bring the Rush back to the post-season, something that eluded the club in 2024-25.
“They want to win,” Smith said. “They’re equipping the player experience and allowing the staff and the coaches to pursue a championship environment, which leads to a championship team.”
Before his stint at RPI, Smith previously led Canisius College for 12 years (2005-17). He guided the program to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2013.
In total, Smith brings 712 games of head coaching experience to Rapid City. His coaching career began as an assistant with Miami University (Ohio), Bowling Green State University, then Mercyhurst College for a combined total of seven years (1998-2005).
He has developed an extensive list of players who advanced to the professional level, including former Rush defenseman Carl Hudson and Jordan Sigalet, the Calgary Flames’ longtime goaltending coach.
“Dave Smith brings a level of compete, tenacity, and hard work that jumps off the page,” Rush president Jared Reid stated. “He has a proven record of developing athletes and helping them reach their potential. Rush Nation will immediately see Dave’s passion for the community and his hunger to win. We are excited to welcome Dave and his family to the Black Hills.”
From College To The Pro Ranks
Smith sees more similarities than differences in player development at the collegiate and professional levels. The biggest difference, he says, is recruiting from the immediate future as opposed to several years away.
“In college, we’re often recruiting for one, two, three years away,” he explained. “Right now (with the Rush), we’re recruiting for Oct. 1, the beginning of the season. When player transactions happen, you’re making transactions for the immediate roster. (Otherwise), it’s the same agents, same coaches, the same contacts we’ve been using in college hockey.”
During his playing career, Smith spent six years at the professional level as a forward, five of which came in the International Hockey League. He won the 1993 Turner Cup with the Fort Wayne Komets.
Smith is an ECHL alumnus, having played his rookie year with the Dayton Bombers. Overall, he played 448 professional games, totaled 324 points, and accumulated 1370 penalty minutes.
Smith graduated from Ohio State University in 1992, where he was team captain and a four-year letterwinner. While compete level and a high IQ are important to the success of any player, there’s another that is just as crucial to Smith.
“You gotta love the game,” Smith said. “As a player, you can see when a guy shows up to the rink and he’s passionate. Whatever practice brings, you find joy in the competition, joy in the locker room camaraderie. You ride those ups and downs as a team. If you have those things, you can tell if a guy is going to be successful.”
A Family Sacrifice
Back to that family dynamic: When you move across the country from New York to South Dakota, getting the family to buy in is crucial.
Smith’s wife, Susan, loved her job as a philosophy professor at RPI. Her father, Gary Sabourin, played 10 seasons in the NHL, so she grew up around the game. Their two daughters, Ellis and Kylie, are both grown and living their own lives.
When Smith was offered the position in Rapid City, Susan embraced the move.
“My wife said, ‘let’s go on an adventure and see what’s out there for us’,” Smith recalled. “One of the things that excited both of us was community… It’s here. You go out to dinner and people want to know what’s going on with the Rapid City Rush. You have that neighborhood that cares, that wants to know who Susan and Dave Smith are.”
Smith credits Rush assistant coach Peter Drikos for getting him up to speed in his new role.
“Peter has been really important to this whole process,” Smith said. “He’s kept the ship moving forward during the time that there was no head coach. The partnership he and I have now, we’ve spent a lot of hours evaluating the returning players, the protected list of rosters, all those things. He’s teaching me a lot. He’s been a true professional.”
(Photo Courtesy of the Rapid City Rush)