Cole Smith (ice hockey)

[2] He was born into an athletic family as his mother, father, sister, uncle, and numerous cousins all participated in sports at the college level.

[6] In 2009, his mother Kris was inducted into the Concordia College Athletics Department Hall of Fame as she had set program records for indoor and outdoor long jump.

[3] Growing up in Brainerd, Minnesota, Smith became good friends with future American Hockey League teammate Mitch McLain.

"[10] He was also three-year starter for the Brainerd ice hockey team and finished his career ninth on the Warriors’ all-time scoring list with 110 total points.

He subsequently joined the Steinbach Pistons in the Canadian-based Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) due to a family connection to the head coach.

His offensive efforts helped the Pistons qualify for the MJHL's Turnbull Cup where he scored seven goals and 11 assists in 15 playoff games.

[18][19] As the Fighting Hawks qualified for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Quarterfinals, Smith assisted on the game-tying and game-winning goals in their 6–5 overtime win over St.

[28] Smith finished the regular season with a career-high 11 goals and 18 points over 34 games[28] and was named as a finalist for the NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year award.

[30] Smith officially concluded his collegiate career on March 19, 2020, after signing a one-year contract with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.

[33] Due to the unique nature of the season, Smith was named to the Predators "taxi squad,"[34] a group of players who travelled with the team to enable swift call-ups in the event of positive COVID-19 cases.

[35] One day into the regular season, Smith was recalled to the active roster and made his NHL debut on January 14, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

[37] This would be his only NHL game of the season as he was shortly thereafter assigned to the Predators American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, on January 21.

[42] After attending the Predators 2021 training camp,[43] Smith was re-assigned to their new AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, prior to the start of the 2021–22 season.

[44] On November 5, Smith scored his first goal as a member of the Admirals to help the team clinch a 2–1 win over the Manitoba Moose and snap a four-game losing streak.

"[51] In his first game back with the Admirals on January 31, Smith scored twice to help lead the team to a 5–0 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

[52] Leading up to his fourth NHL recall on February 14, Smith became the fifth member of the Admirals to reach double-digits in goals and ranked sixth on the team in points with 22.

In his first game on this line, Smith recorded an assist, two shots on goal, and four hits to lift the Predators over the Seattle Kraken on October 12.