Having some moments of absolute domination, Houston Smith flaunted high-end talent and pucks skills in a frame with some solid size and strength, really helping him create dangerous chances for his team. He built speed well through the neutral zone, both on-and-off the puck, and was able to make plays just inside the line with some solid momentum, pulling pucks around defenders that were pressed on their heels, and ultimately finding time alone with the goaltender on a couple of rush chances. He was by far the most effective player on his team at stringing plays together off the rush and taking things upon himself to generate offense. Some nice middle-lane drives upon gaining the zone opened plenty of options for him working from the slot, setting up teammates closer to the goalmouth, along with zipping shots of his own at the net. He made some strong cuts and twists with the puck to evade pressure and pull away from checkers, showing some sound strength and power in his lower body upon pulling away from his man. There were lots of tools put on display from Smith; size, reach, soft hands, dynamism, a quick release, and overall, some good vision and hockey sense to delay and properly time his decisions. I am very curious to see how Smith develops over the course of the season, playing AA hockey last season in Nebraska, it seems Smith may be a diamond in the rough coming into his first AAA season.

Having some moments of absolute domination, Houston Smith flaunted high-end talent and pucks skills in a frame with some solid size and strength, really helping him create dangerous chances for his team. He built speed well through the neutral zone, both on-and-off the puck, and was able to make plays just inside the line with some solid momentum, pulling pucks around defenders that were pressed on their heels, and ultimately finding time alone with the goaltender on a couple of rush chances. He was by far the most effective player on his team at stringing plays together off the rush and taking things upon himself to generate offense. Some nice middle-lane drives upon gaining the zone opened plenty of options for him working from the slot, setting up teammates closer to the goalmouth, along with zipping shots of his own at the net. He made some strong cuts and twists with the puck to evade pressure and pull away from checkers, showing some sound strength and power in his lower body upon pulling away from his man. There were lots of tools put on display from Smith; size, reach, soft hands, dynamism, a quick release, and overall, some good vision and hockey sense to delay and properly time his decisions. I am very curious to see how Smith develops over the course of the season, playing AA hockey last season in Nebraska, it seems Smith may be a diamond in the rough coming into his first AAA season.