The Toronto Maple Leafs have not been shy about dipping their toes into the undrafted free agent market over the past few years, and this season has been no different. One of the newest members of the Leafs’ family is hulking left-shot OHL defenseman Blake Smith, who made his Toronto Marlies debut over the weekend.
Smith comes from a storied hockey family. His father, Derrick, played nearly a decade in the NHL, including seven years for the Philadelphia Flyers. His much older brother, Dalton, was the 34th overall selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2010 NHL Draft, and while he hasn’t become an NHL player, he has spent the last decade in the AHL as a high-energy grinder/enforcer. His uncles are Keith and Wayne Primeau, making him the cousin of Montreal Canadiens netminder Cayden Primeau. Needless to say, Smith will understand what it takes to be a professional hockey player.
Previously strictly a physical, stay-at-home defender, Smith broke out offensively this year for the Flint Firebirds in his overage season, jumping from two goals and 13 points in 65 games in 2023-24 to 10 goals and 32 points in 64 games this past season. This led to NHL attention and subsequently an entry-level contract from the Maple Leafs.
It’s not uncommon for bigger, rugged, defensive defenders to break out offensively in their overage CHL seasons. Brenden Dillon could be the perfect previous success story here. His previous high in points was 14 in the WHL before scoring 59 in his OA year, drawing the attention of the Dallas Stars. Nearly 1,000 NHL games later, it’s safe to say that Dillon is a successful example of how the UDFA market can work in your favour.
So what did the Leafs get in Blake Smith? Let’s break down his skill set by category.
Skating
Unquestionably, this is what drew the interest of the Leafs. Even without factoring in his size and frame, Smith would be considered a strong skater. However, when you factor in the fact that he’s 6’5, 225lbs, it makes it even more impressive.
Smith generates power moving in all four directions, allowing him to close quickly to tighten gaps or retrieve pucks. The fluidity of his stride has improved a lot over his OHL career, too. He used to struggle a lot with the puck in the defensive end because his lack of agility prevented him from escaping pressure, but he’s worked hard on it to help him create the extra time/space he needs to execute breakout passes.
Smith’s strong four-way mobility, especially combined with his reach, makes him a difficult defender to beat one-on-one. He often looks to square up to oncoming attackers and explodes off his edges to catch them with a hard hit, leading with his hip and stopping them dead in their tracks.
From an offensive perspective, Smith doesn’t really utilize his skating to his full advantage. As a pro, don’t expect to see him going end-to-end with his long, powerful strides. His game is more about simplicity. However, as mentioned, his mobility helps him initiate the breakout and cleanly retrieve pucks, which obviously can have a positive effect offensively.
Shot
Smith is not a high-volume shooter by any means. His shot is not a huge weapon for him, even if he did manage to score 10 goals this season in Flint. He can one-time pucks cleanly, but he rarely gets significant velocity or elevates the puck more than a few inches off the ice when he utilizes this. It’s more of a mechanism for him to get pucks on net quickly to help generate second-chance opportunities.
If he’s shooting to score, Smith’s wrist shot is his desired weapon, and he actually can get a lot behind it, beating goaltenders clean from the slot. The release isn’t very quick, but it’s a weapon for him if he finds himself open in the slot or jumps up in the play as a trailer.
Skills
While it’s fair to question Smith’s upside as a pro defender due to some limitations in the skill department, it’s also important to note that certain components of his “skill set” did improve this season, leading to a breakout offensively.
He’s not going to lead the charge in transition. He’s not going to carve up open ice, making defenders miss. He can struggle to combine his quickness and puck carrying ability; he often has to slow to a crawl to attempt a skilled move, making him look stiff. He’s also not going to create a ton of space for himself inside the offensive zone. While he did quarterback the power play at times for Flint this season, this isn’t something he should be expected to do at the pro level.
However, his passing ability improved significantly this year and is the main reason behind his improved production. He can get his stick in passing lanes or outmuscle opposing players for the puck and then quickly execute a heads-up pass to start the breakout. Many times this season, Smith forced turnovers followed by an exit pass that initiated an odd-man advantage for a significant scoring chance or goal.
This was a critical step forward for Smith. Even stay-at-home, depth defenders at the NHL level need to be able to execute clean breakouts if they want to stay in the league. As he moves to the pro level, there will be another adjustment period; the increased pace will likely, at least initially, give him trouble. But it should improve as coaches work with Smith to further utilize his skating ability to his advantage.
Smarts
This is another area where Smith grew significantly this year. Previously, he struggled at times with his reads. For a player with strong four-way mobility, he could get caught flat-footed or caught out of position too regularly. He struggled with his understanding of when to play aggressively and when to allow the play to come to him (the old adage of “chasing the puck”). Additionally, as mentioned, his decision-making and vision with the puck in the defensive end were not a strong suit. He was often limited to chip-outs or deferrals, and when pressured, he struggled with turnovers.
This season, it’s like a lightbulb went off for Smith. Coaches clearly worked with Smith to help him understand how to best utilize his physical gifts. His reach and mobility are a lethal combination in the defensive end. His gap control when defending in transition improved. He became more active with his stick and reach, relying less on pure physicality to make defensive plays.
There are still next steps required. Smith’s positioning when defending in transition still needs work. He can get himself turned around and doesn’t stay square to attackers consistently. He can lunge with his stick and be walked around. He can still lack composure with the puck, swatting at it in the slot rather than gaining control and using his feet to escape. But Rome wasn’t built in a day; these aspects of his game can be developed further.
He also worked on his reads with the puck and as an offensive player. It’s still not perfect, but he trusted his quickness to create space for himself, and he improved the processing speed with which he passed off by improving his scanning habits. This helped lead to the aforementioned improvements with his exits.
Smith also showed greater confidence without the puck to make himself an offensive option. He worked into the slot by timing cuts well to make himself a shooting option. He pinched deep to keep plays alive. He kept things simple, working the point and getting pucks on net quickly. He jumped up in the play as a trailer to make himself a passing option. If you’re not the most skilled defender with the puck, this is how you have to operate if you want to impact the game positively on offense.
Again, there are still limitations. Smith won’t be a point producer at the pro level. But it was a necessary step forward for him if he wants to carve out a pro career.
Physicality/Compete
Other than skating, this is Smith’s bread and butter. He is an intense competitor who is extremely difficult to play against.
Smith’s advanced stats in the 2024-25 season:
- Time on Ice Overall: 8th in the OHL
- Hits: 14th in the OHL
- Shots Blocked: 11th in the OHL
As a physical player, Smith isn’t a big open ice hitter or a huge threat in that regard. In the open ice, he prefers to use his reach. But, if he can angle attackers and keep them to the perimeter, expect him to finish his check hard along the wall. He’ll also hit to gain leverage in 50/50 battles, knocking opponents off stride and coming away with possession. As you might expect from a player with his size and mindset, Smith also clears the net front well.
Voted as the best shot blocker in the Western Conference in this year’s OHL coaches poll, Smith excels in this regard. He shows no fear in the defensive end and clogs shooting lanes with his body and active stick. This is a skill set that should translate well to the pro level.
In Summary
This was a savvy signing by the Leafs. Targeting players with outstanding physical tools who have improved greatly in a short amount of time is a great strategy to find “diamonds in the rough.” Overage CHL players don’t have a great hit rate, but the most successful types have been the stay-at-home defensive types like the aforementioned Brenden Dillon.
Blake Smith will need time. There will be an adjustment period for him at the pro level because he’s still far from a polished product at the OHL level. He may need time in the ECHL. But by the time his entry-level contract ends in three years, the Leafs may just have a defender who can fill a depth role and kill penalties at the NHL level.
