Reilly Smith

Smith with the RedHawks, February 2011

Smith played junior hockey with St. Michael's College School in Toronto, Ontario. Upon graduating, he played three seasons of NCAA Division I collegiate hockey with the Miami University's RedHawks in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), scoring 122 points in 121 games during his tenure there. During his sophomore and junior season, he played mostly on the team's first line.

On March 25, 2012, Smith relinquished his final year at Miami to sign a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars.[1] He played three games for the Stars to finish the 2011–12 season. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Smith played for Dallas' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Texas Stars.[2] He was promoted to Dallas for the season once play resumed in January 2013 and scored his first career NHL goal on February 15, 2013, against Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks.

In July 2013, Smith was included in a blockbuster trade between Dallas and the Boston Bruins, which sent him, Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow and Matt Fraser to Boston in exchange for Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button.[3] On April 5, 2014, the New England Sports Network (NESN) TV network named Smith the 45th annual "7th Player". The "7th Player" is awarded to the Boston Bruin who most exceeded all expectations that season, as voted by the team's fans.[4]

Smith with the Bruins in April 2014

On July 1, 2015, Smith was traded by the Bruins, along with Marc Savard's contract, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jimmy Hayes.[5] On July 3, 2016, Smith signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension with the Panthers.[6]

On June 21, 2017, Smith was traded at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft to the Vegas Golden Knights due to salary cap issues. Both he and teammate Jonathan Marchessault were acquired by the Golden Knights, with the Panthers receiving a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. During his tenure in Florida, Smith had 87 points in 162 games.[7]

Smith would score a career-high 60 points in his first year with Vegas as the Golden Knights defied expectations and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season, eventually falling to the Washington Capitals. Smith scored 5 goals and 17 assists during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. He would follow up that campaign by scoring 19 goals with 34 assists during the 2018-19 NHL Season.

At the time of the pausing of the 2019-20 NHL Season thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith had scored a career high 27 goals in 71 games played.