Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
Evan Smith’s friends and family had nothing but positive comments for him after his first period goal paved the way for a 5-2 Prince Albert Raiders win over the Kamloops Blazers on Oct. 10.
It might seem like a pretty banal observation for anyone else, but Smith’s family are long-time Blazer supporters. Those allegiances didn’t stop them from celebrating Smith’s first period goal, however.
“Everyone was pretty excited for me, my family and friends,” Smith said with a laugh during an interview after practice on Tuesday. “It was a good feeling for sure.”
Smith played his U15, U17, and U18 hockey with Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, but he was born and raised in Kamloops. His family were Blazers season ticket holders, so the WHL was a major part of his life growing up.
“We loved the Blazers, going to all their games, doing all the little kids camps and all that,” he said. “(I was) a fan growing up and I just loved watching the games, (and) meeting the guys. It was really awesome for sure.”
That history of Blazers fandom didn’t stop his family and friends from cheering Smith on, and it didn’t stop the 19-year-old forward from beating them for his second goal of the young WHL season.
With two goals in the Raiders’ first seven games, Smith is just one goal away from matching his career high of three, which he set last year in 66 games.
Smith isn’t entirely sure what’s gone right so far this season, but said his off-season training regimen has played a big part.
“Macker (head coach Ryan McDonald) just had a plan for me and I tried to stick to it as close as possible,” said Smith, who has three assists to go along with his two goals this season. “I don’t know. I just think something’s clicking and I’ve just to keep it going, keep raising the bar, keep raising the standard.”
Those efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. McDonald said Smith’s play is a reflection of work ethic and preparation.
“Smitty had a tremendous offseason,” McDonald said. “He continued to really work on his game and work on his craft. I thought he improved tremendously in his off-ice conditioning and it has shown in his gameplay.
“He’s a big, long centerman who’s very responsible on the D side of the puck. You’re seeing his tenaciousness and his relentlessness on the forecheck. He has fantastic positioning that is just leading to all sorts of offensive chances for him, and that makes him a really reliable player for us.”
Smith’s goal against Kamloops opened the floodgates for the Raiders on Oct. 10. Justice Christensen and Max Heise scored minutes later, giving the Raiders a 3-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
The Raiders held off Kamloops for the win, and head into Friday’s game against the Regina Pats without a regulation loss this season.
Prince Albert jumped out to an early lead the last time they played Regina, but unlike the Blazers, the Pats were able to claw their way back to make it a one-goal game.
Smith said the Raiders need to remain disciplined to ensure the Pats don’t repeat that feat at the Art Hauser Centre.
“They’re a young hockey team with a lot of fight and a lot of work ethic so it’s always going to be a good hockey game against them,” he said. “We’ve just got to play our style, play our way, and if we do that I think the results will be in our favour.”
The Prince Albert Raiders take on the Regina Pats at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday night. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherld.sk.ca
