Ducks' prospect Tarin Smith gets off to a hot start in 2024-25

The Anaheim Ducks selected defenseman Tarin Smith with the 79th overall pick in this past June's 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Ducks select Tarin Smith with 79th overall pick

In the first month-plus of his post-draft season in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, Smith tallied 18 points (three goals and 15 assists) in the first 13 games of the season.

His efforts earned him a spot on the CHL Team of the Month presented by CCM for September/October.

Today, after 15 games, he sits atop the WHL league leaderboard in points (20) by a WHL defenseman and is second in the entire CHL in scoring among defensemen (Luca Marelli-Oshawa Generals). 

Smith attended the Ducks' rookie camp and participated in the "Rookie Faceoff tournament in mid-Sept., where he suited up for two games but was kept off the scoresheet.

"It's a lot faster than preseason back in Everett," Smith said following his first rookie game. "It was a lot of fun to pick up the pace and play some fast, intense hockey"

Standouts From Week 2 Of The 2024-25 WHL Season

He was among the first of the Ducks' main training camp cuts and returned to Everett on Sept. 22.

Smith was drafted after scoring 44 points in 67 games in 2023-24 and adding five more in eight playoff games as the Silvertips were eliminated in the second round of the WHL playoffs.

The Ducks dedicated the selection of Smith to the recently passed Glen Cochrane, who was a huge proponent of Smith and had worked as an amateur scout for the Ducks since the 2007-08 season.

Smith is a surgeon at the offensive blueline cleverly manipulating pressure and reading defensive structures acutely. His creativity and vision coupled with his surprisingly strong fundamental defensive game have earned him substantial minutes in the early going of the 2024-25 season for the Silvertips.

Everett is currently at the top of the WHL standings by a substantial margin with a 13-2-1 record. Smith, like current Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger before him, is a pivotal driving force for the Silvertips' offense and will look to remain producing at an elite rate. 

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