Mr. Smith comes to Kamloops

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Sixteen months ago, Colin Smith was the future.
Today, the future is just about here.
“I’ve been pretty anxious to get it all started,” said Smith, who has had a terrific start to the Kamloops Blazers’ training camp. “Now it’s unfolding and it’s a very exciting time.”
Smith, 16, was the Blazers’ first selection, seventh overall, in the WHL’s 2008 bantam draft. A scoring phenom in Edmonton minor hockey, he put up 55 points, including 23 goals, in 34 regular-season games with the midget AAA CAC Canadians last season. He added seven points in five playoff games and also had seven points in four games at the Mac’s tournament in Calgary.
Smith also got into 12 games with the Blazers, picking up four assists in eight regular-season games and a goal in four playoff games.
“Probably the speed,” he said Sunday, when asked about the biggest adjustment he had to make when he reached the WHL. “You always have to move your feet. Plays develop a lot quicker and you have to adapt to that. You have to simplify your game to make things happen. You have to get rid of (the puck) quicker . . .”
That shouldn’t be a problem for Smith, whose feet are as quick as those belonging to an NBA point guard. He has shown his quickness early in camp, too, especially Saturday when he scored four times in two scrimmages.
“The first game (on Friday) was OK,” Smith said. “I think I picked it up from there. It’s definitely going to get a lot more tense with the older guys, so it’s going to be fun.”
The Blazers cut their camp roster from 94 to 60 prior to Sunday’s workouts so, yes, things are starting to get tense, especially among the 19 veterans who realize that jobs are on the line.
And Smith was doing what he does best in a scrimmage last night, making an especially nice play and pass that paid off in a goal by Dylan Willick, a prospect out of Prince George.
Smith said he went into this camp carrying only the pressure he has put on himself.
“That was two years ago,” he said of being a first-round draft pick. “A lot has happened since then. The draft doesn’t matter any more. I expect myself to do well and I want to do well, so that adds a little pressure to it.”
Like most players in WHL training camps, Smith said he spent the summer “working out.” He also attended a couple of Team Pacific camps and has been shortlisted for the team that will compete at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont., Dec. 28 to Jan. 4.
Smith is a bit bigger now than he was last season and said he feels stronger. He was 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds in the spring and now is 5-foot-10 and 157 pounds.
“It’s hard for my body type to put on weight,” said Smith, who is anything but rawboned. “But I feel a lot stronger than I did coming in last season.”
The Blazers also are looking for some offence from Smith, who said he just wants to contribute.
“I just want to get better on a daily basis and try to do the best that I can to help the team,” he said. “That would be great if I can contribute and fulfil my role, whatever that is.”
While it’s early, Smith, who is going into Grade 11, may find himself on the same line as veteran Tyler Shattock, with the Blazers hoping that will enlarge the freshman’s comfort zone at least a bit.
JUST NOTES: Smith is a product of Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton, where he has been under the tutelage of Rick Carriere, a teacher there who is a highly respected former WHL general manager and head coach. . . . D Brady Gaudet, the Blazers’ first pick, 10th overall, in the 2009 bantam draft, suffered what GM Craig Bonner called “a minor knee injury” in a Friday night scrimmage. Gaudet isn’t expected to play in Tuesday’s Blue/White game. It’s hoped he will play one of two weekend exhibition games. . . . The Blazers meet the Vancouver Giants in Ladner on Friday with a rematch here Saturday. . . . D Darryl Sydor, one of the Blazers’ five owners, returned to Dallas with his family on Saturday to begin preparations for another school year. Sydor, an NHL free agent, finished last season with the Dallas Stars, who acquired the 37-year-old from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sydor, who made US$2.5 million last season, hopes to play at least one more season and is awaiting an offer. . . . Mark Recchi, another of the owners, has returned to his home in Pittsburgh. He was keeping tabs on camp Sunday evening through Bonner’s BlackBerry.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com