Cole Smith The Latest Win For Predators’ Amateur Scouting Staff

Cole Smith’s emergence as a reliable bottom-six forward was a boost for the Nashville Predators this season.

It’s also a win for the team’s amateur scouting staff, which identified Smith as a late bloomer with NHL potential following his senior year at the University of North Dakota in 2020. The Predators signed him as an undrafted free agent that spring.

“There’s all different paths [to the NHL],” Predators chief amateur scout Tom Nolan said Wednesday. “Some kids develop quicker than others. We’re always looking at guys who have gone through the draft … It’s important.”

As Nolan, assistant general manager Jeff Kealty and the rest of the Predators front office prepare for June’s NHL Draft, finding the next Smith will be among their priorities. Nashville owns nine picks in the top four rounds but none in the fifth, sixth or seventh.

If the Predators don’t acquire any late-round selections via trade, they could fill out their organizational depth chart with a player or two who slipped through the cracks. Recent UDFA success stories include Tanner Jeannot and Mathieu Olivier, both of whom were later flipped by Nashville in exchange for other assets, and Vernon Fiddler.

UDFAs who began their careers with other teams but eventually played for the Predators include Carter Hutton, Matt Irwin, Kiefer Sherwood, Jerred Smithson and Joel Ward.

In his breakout 2023-24 season, Smith posted a career-high 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists), a plus-5 rating and 63 penalty minutes. He also finished second on the team in hits (235) behind only NHL leader Jeremy Lauzon.

The 28-year-old Smith was rewarded with a two-year, $2 million contract extension in January.

“I think this year was my best year, obviously, that I’ve had,” he said during the team’s end-of-season media availability. “You keep growing and you learn you belong here. That breeds confidence, and I think confidence is key, especially in this league. I learned a lot about myself. I’m able to play this game at a pretty good level.”