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Zack Smith is now *officially* the Sens' New Young Hope At Forward, if you believe this glowing piece in The Citizen.
Personally, I'm a big fan of giving talented, committed kids a shot over high priced vets, so I hope Zack is ready to join the Back In Black gang.
Here's what the OC has to say...I like the comments by BM and CC in this piece, so I'm posting the whole thing:
ZACK OUT TO JOIN SENS' ATTACK
Hard-nosed centre could bring toughness, scoring to lineup
Allen Panzeri, The Citizen, September 8 2009
Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray winces to hear it, but it's tough to argue: The Senators are one of the softest teams in the National Hockey League.
They've never had a defenceman who consistently punishes opposition forwards, as Jason Smith did in his prime or Jared Cowen might do one day.
Except for the odd player such as Chris Neil and Mike Fisher, they've never had a group of forwards willing to battle for space in front of the opposition net.
Murray's trying to change that.
He might have something in Nick Foligno, who is not shy about jostling for position, and maybe Cody Bass, though injury-prone so far in his career, will be another.
After that, though, the pickings are slim.
In the past two years, Murray's added Jarkko Ruutu, Shean Donovan and Jesse Winchester. All three are hard players, but they won't make anyone forget Jason Spezza.
That's why Murray and his coaching staff have so much hope invested in Zack Smith. He could finally be Ottawa's version of the player they wanted, but never got -- Gary Roberts -- a guy who will knock over everyone on his way to the net and get 20 goals a season.
Smith, 21, was drafted 79th overall in 2008 and had an eyebrow-raising rookie seasons with Binghamton of the American Hockey League in 2008-09. Playing on a line with Ilya Zubov and Ryan Shannon, he tied for second on the team in goals (24), was fifth in points (48) and, better yet, was fifth in penalty minutes (132).
Starting here at this NHL rookie tournament, the Senators want a good look at Smith.
Like centre Peter Regin, who is also being given a chance to make the NHL team, Smith's fate depends on what happens with Dany Heatley. If there's an open roster spot after Heatley is either traded or returns, Smith will have a chance to compete for it.
Murray is keeping his fingers crossed, but loves what he sees.
"He's big and strong and, every drill he does, he drives the net," Murray said Monday. "We don't have players who do that consistently. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in preseason games, to see how he fits and how he plays against high-level NHL players.
"He's very close."
What Murray especially likes is that, in addition to being tough and strong, the 6-2, 199-pound Smith has good hands.
What Smith has to do now is show that he can play against NHL-calibre players.
"He's a big, raw kid, very gritty," assistant general manager Tim Murray said.
"He'll stick you, put a glove in your face. For us, he could be a fourth-line centre, but Cory (Clouston, the Senators' head coach) will have a choice between Zack, Regin and Cody Bass. But it wouldn't surprise me if he's here all year."
Smith did next to nothing in his first two seasons with Swift Current of the Western Hockey League. His third season was better, with 16 goals and 15 assists in 71 games, and he broke out in his fourth season: 22 goals and 48 assists in 72 games.
The way he explains it, it was a matter of confidence. Early in his junior career, he was typecast as a checker, so only gradually did he find his ability to score.
"It's all about confidence for me. Going into junior, I didn't have a lot of confidence.
"Then I had some good years, and now I'm playing with more confidence than I've ever had."
Playing with Zubov and Shannon helped, since both players are offensively talented, but Smith surprised even himself with the points he put up in his first AHL season.
As he left town at the end of last season, he was told he had a good chance to play in Ottawa this season. Now he has to seize the chance.
"Guys like me and Peter (Regin), we've played a year of pro, so we're obviously expected to be leaders at this rookie tournament and be the best players, and hopefully we can do that," he said.
----
I like this kid. About time the Sens get some nasty in 'em.
Personally, I'm a big fan of giving talented, committed kids a shot over high priced vets, so I hope Zack is ready to join the Back In Black gang.
Here's what the OC has to say...I like the comments by BM and CC in this piece, so I'm posting the whole thing:
ZACK OUT TO JOIN SENS' ATTACK
Hard-nosed centre could bring toughness, scoring to lineup
Allen Panzeri, The Citizen, September 8 2009
Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray winces to hear it, but it's tough to argue: The Senators are one of the softest teams in the National Hockey League.
They've never had a defenceman who consistently punishes opposition forwards, as Jason Smith did in his prime or Jared Cowen might do one day.
Except for the odd player such as Chris Neil and Mike Fisher, they've never had a group of forwards willing to battle for space in front of the opposition net.
Murray's trying to change that.
He might have something in Nick Foligno, who is not shy about jostling for position, and maybe Cody Bass, though injury-prone so far in his career, will be another.
After that, though, the pickings are slim.
In the past two years, Murray's added Jarkko Ruutu, Shean Donovan and Jesse Winchester. All three are hard players, but they won't make anyone forget Jason Spezza.
That's why Murray and his coaching staff have so much hope invested in Zack Smith. He could finally be Ottawa's version of the player they wanted, but never got -- Gary Roberts -- a guy who will knock over everyone on his way to the net and get 20 goals a season.
Smith, 21, was drafted 79th overall in 2008 and had an eyebrow-raising rookie seasons with Binghamton of the American Hockey League in 2008-09. Playing on a line with Ilya Zubov and Ryan Shannon, he tied for second on the team in goals (24), was fifth in points (48) and, better yet, was fifth in penalty minutes (132).
Starting here at this NHL rookie tournament, the Senators want a good look at Smith.
Like centre Peter Regin, who is also being given a chance to make the NHL team, Smith's fate depends on what happens with Dany Heatley. If there's an open roster spot after Heatley is either traded or returns, Smith will have a chance to compete for it.
Murray is keeping his fingers crossed, but loves what he sees.
"He's big and strong and, every drill he does, he drives the net," Murray said Monday. "We don't have players who do that consistently. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in preseason games, to see how he fits and how he plays against high-level NHL players.
"He's very close."
What Murray especially likes is that, in addition to being tough and strong, the 6-2, 199-pound Smith has good hands.
What Smith has to do now is show that he can play against NHL-calibre players.
"He's a big, raw kid, very gritty," assistant general manager Tim Murray said.
"He'll stick you, put a glove in your face. For us, he could be a fourth-line centre, but Cory (Clouston, the Senators' head coach) will have a choice between Zack, Regin and Cody Bass. But it wouldn't surprise me if he's here all year."
Smith did next to nothing in his first two seasons with Swift Current of the Western Hockey League. His third season was better, with 16 goals and 15 assists in 71 games, and he broke out in his fourth season: 22 goals and 48 assists in 72 games.
The way he explains it, it was a matter of confidence. Early in his junior career, he was typecast as a checker, so only gradually did he find his ability to score.
"It's all about confidence for me. Going into junior, I didn't have a lot of confidence.
"Then I had some good years, and now I'm playing with more confidence than I've ever had."
Playing with Zubov and Shannon helped, since both players are offensively talented, but Smith surprised even himself with the points he put up in his first AHL season.
As he left town at the end of last season, he was told he had a good chance to play in Ottawa this season. Now he has to seize the chance.
"Guys like me and Peter (Regin), we've played a year of pro, so we're obviously expected to be leaders at this rookie tournament and be the best players, and hopefully we can do that," he said.
----
I like this kid. About time the Sens get some nasty in 'em.
