Born in the United States, he is currently playing with HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and represented China at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

[2] Since turning professional in the 2009–10 season, Smith, while within the Predators organization, was shuffled between the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

In Subban's absence, Smith was a standout for Providence, posting 13 wins in 20 games and earning his first recall to the NHL, on an emergency basis, on April 9, 2016.

[11] On December 27, Smith was recalled by the Avalanche after an injury to starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov and backed up Calvin Pickard for five games before he was returned to the Rampage on January 5, 2017.

[15] For the following 2017–18 season, Smith was unable to add to his NHL experience, assigned to the AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers for the duration of the campaign.

[16] In the following 2018–19 season, Smith had collected 16 wins through 32 games for the Sound Tigers before he was signed to a two-way contract by the New York Islanders for the remainder of the year on February 24, 2019.

While the Olympic Charter stipulates that any athlete competing in the Games must be a national of the country of the NOC which is entering such competitor, the IOC Executive Board has the authority to make certain exceptions of a "general or individual nature", though it is unclear whether this was the case.