Nathan Smith (ice hockey, born 1982)

Playing career

Smith entered the NHL when the Vancouver Canucks picked him 23rd overall in the 2000 draft. He spent four seasons with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos before signing his first pro contract with Vancouver in May 2002. His first pro games came the next season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Injuries plagued his time in the Canucks organization, most notably a knee injury during his third year that nearly ended his career.

In July 2007, he moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent. He logged over 13 games for Pittsburgh and scored his first NHL goal on April 27, 2008, though officials waved it off. He captained the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, leading them to the Calder Cup finals, where they fell to the Chicago Wolves in five games. A one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche followed in July 2008.

Smith was sent to their AHL team, the Lake Erie Monsters, where he served as captain until a knee injury on January 23, 2009, ended his season. He signed another one-year contract, this time with the Minnesota Wild, in July 2009. He returned to the NHL on October 14, 2009, in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, playing nine games for the Wild that season. Most of his year was spent with the AHL’s Houston Aeros, where he put up 37 points in 67 games.

In August 2010, he left North America for a one-year stint with Germany’s Augsburger Panther of the DEL, serving as team captain. He came back to the AHL in August 2011, signing a one-year deal with the Syracuse Crunch. A concussion early in that season limited him to just 18 games and forced him into retirement.