Montreal Canadiens prospect Ty Smilanic talks about adjusting to being a pro and his new role with the Trois-Rivieres Lions.
When Kent Hughes was hired by the Canadiens in January 2022 for the general manager role, his mandate was to execute the necessary moves for the rebuild that commenced with the nomination of Jeff Gorton as executive vice president in November 2021.
The first significant trade under Hughes’ watch was Tyler Toffoli’s move to the Calgary Flames and one month later, Ben Chiarot was dealt to the Florida Panthers.
In addition to two draft picks, the Canadiens obtained the signing rights of Ty Smilanic from Florida. Smilanic was drafted in the third round (74th overall) by the Panthers in 2020 and at the time was in his second year with Quinnipiac University in the NCAA, finishing the season with 23 points in 41 games.
Last season, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin where a lower body injury caused him to miss action, finishing the year with two points in 14 contests.
Turning Pro
During the off season, the 21-year-old decided to forfeit his final year in the NCAA and turned professional despite not having a received a contract offer from the Canadiens.
"I was done with school and I was ready to start taking hockey a little more seriously. Not that I didn't in college, but trying to make hockey my only focus and try to develop and hopefully one day play in the NHL," said Smilanic explaining the decision.
The forward participated in the organization’s rookie camp and main camp on a tryout basis. He was released from the Canadiens camp and later on from the Rocket camp before signing an ECHL contract with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. The Canadiens have his NHL signing rights until August 15th, 2024 before Smilanic becomes an unrestricted free agent.
"The schedule because you're practicing a lot less, playing a lot more," Smilanic answered when asked about the biggest adjustment from NCAA to professional hockey. "When you're developing and you're a young player sometimes that can be hard. You need those practices but I'm just trying to get used to everything and just trying to help out any way I can."
Focusing on Defence
The Denver native has dressed in all eight games with Trois-Rivieres and obtained his first point on Saturday with a primary assist.
Since the start of the season, Smilanic has primarily played on the third line and been part of the penalty kill unit.
"[Smilanic] has played very well. We want him to play his 200-foot game and he's on the penalty kill and he has a great skating ability. So far, I'm extremely happy with Ty," coach and general manager Ron Choules commented.
"Fast, energy. Right now, I'm not putting the puck in the net but usually I think I'm a goal scorer, but it will come with time," the forward scouted himself. In the NCAA, he totaled 28 goals in 84 games over three seasons.
"When you switch teams, you have different roles," he explained his lack of scoring to start the season. "Sometimes your job is to keep the puck out. I'm taking a lot of heart in that and I don't want to be out there when there's a goal against, so sometimes you sacrifice offence for defense. Hopefully that changes with time, but I'm not too worried about it now."
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