5 Questions with Ty Smith
Ty Smith is a natural born leader.
The Spokane Chiefs captain, who was selected to guide Team WHL at the 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series, was back under the national spotlight as for the second year running he is aiming to earn a spot to compete with Team Canada at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
While the New Jersey Devils first-round pick has excelled on the national stage, he has also impressed this season with the Chiefs as he has amassed 14 points counting four goals and 10 assists in 14 appearances in a strong followup to the 2018-19 campaign in which he was recognized as the CHL Defencemen of the Year.
Smith chatted with the CHL after representing Team WHL in the 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series:
How did it feel to compete in the CIBC Canada Russia Series?
It felt awesome! It was a great experience. I’m pretty fortunate to play with some great players in the WHL and it was great to get the win for the CHL.
What is your approach ahead of this year’s World Junior Championship?
Last year obviously wasn’t the outcome that we wanted. Losing in the quarterfinals to Finland was a heart breaker. Kind of tasting that, suffering that loss, was kind of motivation for the guys that have a chance to play again. Hopefully I get that opportunity again, and I’ll keep working hard to hopefully represent Canada again this Christmas and have a good time with it.
What is your favourite memory from representing Canada last year in Vancouver?
I think for me my favourite memory is just the first time I got to step on the ice wearing the maple leaf for the U20 team. It’s what you dream of as a kid. It was a lot of fun having it in Canada. The fans were amazing and it was very loud. We had a great group of guys and it was a lot of fun.
What is your favourite World Junior memory from watching as a young kid?
Probably when (Jordan) Eberle scored that goal late to tie it against Russia. I was in my buddy’s basement hanging out with him and the rest of our team, I think it was maybe Atom hockey, so it was a lot of fun for us, we had a big celebration in the basement, it was a really good memory for me.
What was your biggest takeaway from your second New Jersey Devils camp?
It was obviously tough being cut from the Devils but coming back to the WHL, I think just having a good mindset, and being able to improve every day. Those guys compete very hard and there’s obviously tons of talent, size, and skill in the NHL. Being able to improve on my compete level every day in practice and games, I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me is to improve my compete level this season.
The 5 Questions series appears every Sunday.