The imposing bottom-six forward had one of the many standout performances during rookie camp that was invited to training camp with the veterans.
In the Rookie Face-Off, Los Angeles Kings forward Jared Woolley decided he had had enough of being run into by Utah HC forward Gabe Smith.
What came next was inevitable.
"That's something I'm doing all the time (being physical)," Smith said. "If I need to do it (fight), it's something I can do for sure."
It certainly got coach Steve Potvin's attention at the Rookie Face-Off, who claimed Smith had not been fighting too often in his young career.
But more than Smith's fighting ability, it was his hard work ethic and willingness to compete that allowed him to be invited to training camp this week in Kearns.
Case in point: Smith was one of the tone-setters that shifted the momentum in the 5-3 loss to Vegas, where Utah nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit in the first period.
"It just shows the character and devotion to winning," Smith said. "It's always tough when you're down, but if you're dedicated, anything can happen."
While the youngster is bringing the same style of play and work ethic to training camp -- which was certainly on display Friday -- he said he still wants to improve protecting the puck using his physicality.
"Every rookie now is looking up to the guys," Smith said. "I'm just hoping to learn as much as I can and see the way they do things."