Tarin Smith – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

In the defensive zone, Smith excels in the corners and dirty areas of the ice, showing a willingness to go to these areas and battle with opponents and, more times than not, win the battles. Winning these battles helps to generate chances for clears and rushes for his teammates. But while he does show willingness in the battles, there is still room for him to get more involved physically and use his frame to his advantage a bit more than he does currently. Further expanding on his defensive play, he is strong in transition and on rushes to slow down his opponents and is strong in between the blue lines with his defensive play.

Overall, Smith is a solid two-way defenseman who can also be seen at times as a high-risk, high-reward player.

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Tarin Smith – NHL Draft Projection

As mentioned before, with this year’s draft class being heavy with top-tier defensemen, Smith will find himself most likely in the second tier of the position. With the upside that he has shown this season and the improvements to his offensive game, there is a chance that he will be picked in the second or third round of the draft.

Quotables

“Tarin Smith is an offensive defenseman who is dynamic with the puck and creates off the rush using his feet and creative puckhandling to slip through defenders in highlight-reel fashion. He’s an intelligent passer but loves to take a volume of shots from the point.” – Luke Sweeney, DobberProspects

“Smith’s game is built around his mobility and ability to position himself proactively. He always seems to be in the right spot, and the smoothness of his stride allows him to cover a lot of ground and extend without sacrificing on the defensive end. He has very quick feet and excels at making micro-adjustments to maximize his coverage and stay positionally sound.” – Donesh Mazloum, FCHockey

Strengths

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

NHL Potential

Smith has the tools defensively to be a solid defenseman in the NHL, but what tempers those thoughts is the lack of talent that he has in the offensive zone. While being able to create space with the puck thanks to some solid puck handling, he does not have the raw talent to be likely more than a bottom-four defenseman in the league.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk: 3/5 Reward: 4/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense: 4/10 Defense: 6/10

Awards/Achievements

With his strong play this season, Smith earned Most Improved Player for the Everett Silvertips organization.

Tarin Smith Statistics

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