Jackson Smith – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

As an in-zone passer, Smith has been quite bold. He’s not afraid to contribute offensively, which has made him somewhat of an assist-scoring dynamo (0.65 per game; just above Carter Yakemchuk‘s draft year and just below his draft-plus-one season to this point). Due to Smith’s aggressiveness, and also his transitional play mentioned above, it’s not hard to connect the dots—the Americans scored 3.03 goals per game in 2023-24 (20^th out of 22 in WHL) and are scoring 3.55 per contest in 2024-25 (13^th out of 22 in WHL). The pace switches when he hops on the ice.

Moving to the defensive side of the puck, that’s another area where Smith holds his own. While he’s not a completely polished product, as he can make the occasional defensive zone turnover, he is strong both on and off the puck when defending. Battles for puck possession are often won by him, made possible by his stick skills and size.

All of this is to say that Smith blossoms in all three zones. Adding to his transitional dominance are his controlled offensive zone entries, which are key for scoring goals. With so many high-end elements to his game, it’s hard not to obsess about what he can become.

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Jackson Smith – NHL Draft Projection

It’s impossible to know what’s going on in the minds of NHL scouts, but it’s likely that Smith is at least a lottery pick. At this stage, anywhere inside the top 10 is a plausible outcome. His combination of size, skill, translatable traits, and production should have organizations across the league licking their chops at the chance to call his name at the podium. Talents like Smith do not grow on trees.

Quotables

“He’s physical, he skates so well, and he’s as mobile as it gets for a 6-foot-3 defenseman. I also think his hockey sense is great, and it’s only a matter of time until he finds a way to explode offensively. Scouts see him as a top-four defenseman who can play a bunch of different roles. He should be an impact player on Canada’s World Junior team next year, too, which will help his overall profile.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“Is rounding into form by continuing to develop his physical game. Keeps good gaps and projects to provide at least secondary offence at the next level.” – Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

“Smith uses agility, balance, and deceptive footwork to push the puck up ice, and his smooth, powerful edges to close gaps early in rushes. Earlier in the year, he was prone to overthinking and overhandling the puck, but recently he’s cleaned that up. If you’re looking for a rush defender, who can move the puck with his feet and create with an elite skill package, Smith may be your man.” – Luke Sweeney, Dobber Prospects

Strengths

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

NHL Potential

There’s a world where Smith is a flat-out stud rather than the top-four defender that seems to be the consensus. Putting all of his strengths together, it really wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Defensemen gifted in all facets of the game like Smith, especially puck-moving, dominate the NHL—a future top-pairing player is far from an overzealous projection. Top-four upside is more realistic, but that may prove to underrate him.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk – 2.5/5, Reward – 4.5/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense – 8/10, Defense – 7.5/10

Awards/Achievements

Interviews/Links

Facebook: Get to Know – Jackson Smith

Jackson Smith Stats

Videos