Kenton Smith
Encyclopedia
Kenton Smith is a Canadian
professional ice hockey
player, now playing for HC Valpellice Bulldogs in the Italian
Serie A.
of the Western Hockey League
(WHL) in 1995–96. He competed for the Hitmen for five seasons, establishing himself as a cornerstone of the team during that time. In 1998–99, he recorded 19 goals to establish a single-season team record by a defenceman (surpassed by Paul Postma
's 23 goals in 2008–09
), en route to leading his team to a President's Cup as WHL champions in 1999. Smith played 386 games in total for the Hitmen, scoring 226 points and clocking 527 penalty minutes.
Smith began his professional career in 2000, splitting the season between the ill-fated Detroit Vipers
of the International Hockey League (IHL) and the Johnstown Chiefs
of the ECHL
. In his 13 game spell with the Chiefs, Smith would help them into the post season, when he himself would feature on four occasions. His brief but promising showing with the Chiefs would ensure his return to the ECHL the following season, although for the Pensacola Ice Pilots
.
Smith would impress for the Ice Pilots, and was rewarded with a call up to the American Hockey League
(AHL) from the Springfield Falcons
. He would feature in 9 AHL games before returning to play at ECHL standard. For the 2002-03 season, Smith would become a Charlotte Checkers player, and again showed his ability at ECHL level, scoring 22 points in 48 games. Despite this, Smith would move again during the off-season, this time signing for the Columbus Cottonmouths
. He would feature in every one of the Cottonmouths regular season fixtures, helping out with 24 points along the way.
In 2004, Smith chose to return to the Charlotte Checkers, the beginning of a long and successful spell for both player and organisation. The Checkers would make the post-season in all four seasons which Smith spent at the club, and the player himself managed to score 125 points in 282 games. Smith did not miss a single regular season Checkers game from the start of the 2005-06 season until his departure at the end of the 2007-08 term.
In the summer of 2008, Smith was introduced to his first taste of European hockey, opting to sign for the Elite Ice Hockey League
(EIHL)'s Manchester Phoenix
under head coach Tony Hand
with the contract being announced on June 10, 2008. Smith has also been appointed as captain for the 2008–09 season. Under Smith's often inspiring leadership, the Phoenix reached both the Knock-Out and Challenge Cup finals for the first time in their history as well as once again competing in the play-offs. Despite the success brought to Manchester by the team, off-ice financial problems arose and in the summer of 2009, the organisation announced that it would compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League
for the 2009-10 season. As a direct result, the budget would have to be dramatically reduced and therefore Smith, along with most of the senior squad, would be released.
He then joined HC Valpellice Bulldogs along with Manchester Phoenix team mate from last season, David-Alexandre Beauregard
.
He has a brother Mark who has recently signed with the Edinburgh Capitals
of the EIHL, the league that Kenton played in last season for the Manchester Phoenix
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, now playing for HC Valpellice Bulldogs in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Serie A.
Playing career
Smith began playing at major junior level for the Calgary HitmenCalgary Hitmen
The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner...
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
(WHL) in 1995–96. He competed for the Hitmen for five seasons, establishing himself as a cornerstone of the team during that time. In 1998–99, he recorded 19 goals to establish a single-season team record by a defenceman (surpassed by Paul Postma
Paul Postma
Paul Postma is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League . He was drafted 205th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and is a prospect for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League...
's 23 goals in 2008–09
2008–09 WHL season
The 2008–09 WHL season was the 43rd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 18, 2008, and ended on March 15, 2009. The WHL Playoffs commenced on March 20, 2009, and the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, took...
), en route to leading his team to a President's Cup as WHL champions in 1999. Smith played 386 games in total for the Hitmen, scoring 226 points and clocking 527 penalty minutes.
Smith began his professional career in 2000, splitting the season between the ill-fated Detroit Vipers
Detroit Vipers
The Detroit Vipers was an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.-Beginning:...
of the International Hockey League (IHL) and the Johnstown Chiefs
Johnstown Chiefs
The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1988 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League when that league was formed...
of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
. In his 13 game spell with the Chiefs, Smith would help them into the post season, when he himself would feature on four occasions. His brief but promising showing with the Chiefs would ensure his return to the ECHL the following season, although for the Pensacola Ice Pilots
Pensacola Ice Pilots
The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a minor league ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders , and the Chicago Blackhawks. They have also had a working agreement with the Houston Aeros of the...
.
Smith would impress for the Ice Pilots, and was rewarded with a call up to the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL) from the Springfield Falcons
Springfield Falcons
The Springfield Falcons are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center and are the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. The Falcons' two main rivals are the Connecticut Whale and the...
. He would feature in 9 AHL games before returning to play at ECHL standard. For the 2002-03 season, Smith would become a Charlotte Checkers player, and again showed his ability at ECHL level, scoring 22 points in 48 games. Despite this, Smith would move again during the off-season, this time signing for the Columbus Cottonmouths
Columbus Cottonmouths
The Columbus Cottonmouths are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed the Snakes, and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.-Central Hockey League : 1996-2001:...
. He would feature in every one of the Cottonmouths regular season fixtures, helping out with 24 points along the way.
In 2004, Smith chose to return to the Charlotte Checkers, the beginning of a long and successful spell for both player and organisation. The Checkers would make the post-season in all four seasons which Smith spent at the club, and the player himself managed to score 125 points in 282 games. Smith did not miss a single regular season Checkers game from the start of the 2005-06 season until his departure at the end of the 2007-08 term.
In the summer of 2008, Smith was introduced to his first taste of European hockey, opting to sign for the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
(EIHL)'s Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
under head coach Tony Hand
Tony Hand
Tony Hand MBE is a Scottish ice hockey player who became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986. He is currently player-coach of the Manchester Phoenix...
with the contract being announced on June 10, 2008. Smith has also been appointed as captain for the 2008–09 season. Under Smith's often inspiring leadership, the Phoenix reached both the Knock-Out and Challenge Cup finals for the first time in their history as well as once again competing in the play-offs. Despite the success brought to Manchester by the team, off-ice financial problems arose and in the summer of 2009, the organisation announced that it would compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League
English Premier Ice Hockey League
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association...
for the 2009-10 season. As a direct result, the budget would have to be dramatically reduced and therefore Smith, along with most of the senior squad, would be released.
He then joined HC Valpellice Bulldogs along with Manchester Phoenix team mate from last season, David-Alexandre Beauregard
David-Alexandre Beauregard
David-Alexandre Beauregard is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently playing for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Beauregard has had a remarkable 14-year professional career in the minor leagues.-Early years:From a very young age Beauregard had been a scorer...
.
He has a brother Mark who has recently signed with the Edinburgh Capitals
Edinburgh Capitals
The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh...
of the EIHL, the league that Kenton played in last season for the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995-96 | Calgary Hitmen Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
53 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996-97 | Calgary Hitmen Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
72 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 63 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997-98 | Calgary Hitmen Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
69 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 81 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 26 | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary Hitmen Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
69 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 138 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 34 | ||
| 1999-00 | Calgary Hitmen Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
71 | 7 | 46 | 53 | 128 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 25 | ||
| 2000-01 | Johnstown Chiefs Johnstown Chiefs The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1988 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League when that league was formed... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2000-01 | Detroit Vipers Detroit Vipers The Detroit Vipers was an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.-Beginning:... |
IHL | 59 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001-02 | Springfield Falcons Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center and are the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. The Falcons' two main rivals are the Connecticut Whale and the... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
48 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 28 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | Columbus Cottonmouths Columbus Cottonmouths The Columbus Cottonmouths are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed the Snakes, and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.-Central Hockey League : 1996-2001:... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
72 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 58 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2004-05 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
66 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 71 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 2005-06 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
72 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 133 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2006-07 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
72 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 82 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2007-08 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
72 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 80 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2008-09 | Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in... |
EIHL | 67 | 9 | 38 | 47 | 74 | 2 | ||||||
| Career Totals | 884 | 97 | 322 | 419 | 1006 | 82 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 109 | ||||
External links
- Kenton Smith Personal Profile, Manchester Phoenix Official Website.
- Kenton Smith Checks in With Phoenix, Manchester Phoenix Official Website, 10/06/08
- "Kenton Gives Phoenix Steel", Manchester Evening News, 12/06/08