Craig Smith (born September 5, 1989) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ice hockey player, currently playing for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round, 98th overall, of the

2009 NHL Entry Draft The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns select ...

Playing career

Smith played major junior hockey in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

(USHL) with the

Waterloo Black Hawks The Waterloo Black Hawks are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL) under president and general manager P.K. O'Handley. The Black Hawks' home ice is the Young Arena in Waterl ...

. He was named to the USHL First All-Star Team for the 2008–09 season. Smith participated at the 2011 IIHF World Championship as a member of the

United States men's national ice hockey team The United States men's national ice hockey team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with its U18 and U17 development program in Plymouth, Michigan. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the ...

. He then went on to play two years at the University of Wisconsin for the Badgers ice hockey team. After coming out of college early, Smith became the first player since Colin Wilson to make the Predators without first playing for the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, which at the time was the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

. On October 7, 2011, in a game against the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, Smith made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal, which came against Steve Mason. Following the 2014–15 season, Smith became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Predators made him a

qualifying offer A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

to retain his NHL rights and, on July 5, 2015, Smith filed for Salary Arbitration. On July 20, prior to his scheduled meeting, Smith entered into a new five-year, $21.25 million contract with the Predators. On September 29, 2020, after nine seasons with Nashville, Smith informed the team that he would not sign a new contract with them and that he would become a free agent. On October 10, he signed a three-year, $9.3 million contract with the Boston Bruins. On May 19, 2021, Smith scored the Game 3 double overtime winner for the Bruins against the

, giving them a 2-1 series lead in their first round series. He scored the goal when Capitals goalie

Ilya Samsonov Ilya Alexeyevich Samsonov (, russian: Илья Алексеевич Самсонов; born 22 February 1997) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Magnitog ...

misplayed the puck behind the net. Capitals captain

Alex Ovechkin Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin ( rus, Александр Михайлович Овечкин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals ...

controversially scolded him in Russian after the game ended. The Bruins then went on to win the series against the Capitals in five games. On February 23, 2023, Smith (along with 3 draft picks) was traded from the Bruins to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Garnet Hathaway and

Dmitry Orlov Dmitry Orlov may refer to: * Dmitry Orlov (banker) (1943–2014), Russian banker * Dmitry Orlov (ice hockey) (born 1991), Russian professional ice hockey player * Dmitry Orlov (writer) (born 1962), Russian-American engineer and a writer * Dmitr ...

Personal

Smith graduated from

La Follette High School Robert M. La Follette High School is a public school located in Madison, Wisconsin, serving the city's far east side with its attendance boundaries including parts of the City of Madison, City of Fitchburg, Town of Blooming Grove, and Town of Burk ...

in Madison, Wisconsin.Madison.com, by Andy Baggot, October 31, 2006, retrieved May 26, 2020
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Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* 1989 births Living people American men's ice hockey forwards Boston Bruins players KalPa players Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators draft picks Nashville Predators players Washington Capitals players Waterloo Black Hawks players Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players Sportspeople from Madison, Wisconsin Ice hockey players from Wisconsin {{US-icehockey-player-stub