Dan Smith (ice hockey)

Playing career

Dan Smith entered the NHL when the Colorado Avalanche picked him 181st overall in the 1995 draft. He finished his junior hockey with the WHL's Tri-City Americans before turning pro with the Hershey Bears, Colorado's top minor league team. Over five seasons in the Avalanche system, Smith suited up for just 15 NHL games, spending the rest of his time in Hershey. After one season in Finland and another with the Phoenix Coyotes' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, he signed with the Edmonton Oilers on August 21, 2003. During his three years there, he again played almost exclusively in the AHL, adding seven more NHL appearances in 2005–06. On July 13, 2006, the Detroit Red Wings signed him, but after training camp he was sent to their AHL team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the 2006–07 season. A year later, on July 11, 2007, the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Smith to bolster their farm club, the Syracuse Crunch. His veteran leadership helped the Crunch reach the second playoff round. He re-signed with Syracuse on July 8, 2008, and was named the team's tenth captain. That season, he missed just one game, but the Crunch missed the playoffs. Smith retired on December 10, 2009.