Photo via X, formerly Twitter, @AnaheimDucks
Once a late-round OHL draft pick who started as an underdog, former Petes defenceman Konnor Smith has now secured an NHL contract with the Anaheim Ducks. The 20-year-old from Windsor, Ontario, has signed a three-year entry-level deal and will play out the 2024-25 season with the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, on an Amateur Tryout agreement.
Selected in the ninth round (175th overall) by Peterborough in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Smith developed into a dependable defenceman. By 2023, he was a key part of the Petes’ OHL Championship run, recording two assists in 23 playoff games as the team won the J. Ross Robertson Cup. He added an assist over five games at the 2023 Memorial Cup. At 6-foot-6 and 216 pounds, his performance earned him a fourth-round selection (97th overall) by Anaheim in 2023. Last season, he debuted with the Gulls, scoring his first AHL goal on April 6, 2024, against Tucson.
Smith was traded from Peterborough to the Owen Sound Attack in January 2024, then moved to the Brampton Steelheads this past January. This season, he posted career highs of 10 goals and 26 points in 40 regular season games between Owen Sound and Brampton, leading Brampton defencemen in goals and finishing with a +/- rating of plus 14. He also added a goal and three assist during their six playoff games.
Off the ice, Smith left a mark in Peterborough. His 2021-22 nomination for the OHL’s Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy recognized efforts like his Konnor’s Kids initiative and school visits for the Petes’ Ball Hockey Program. He also earned the Petes’ Gary Dalliday Memorial Award in 2022 and 2023, presented to the player who best exemplifies community service through character and leadership.
Smith’s journey from a ninth-round OHL pick to an NHL contract is proof that it doesn’t matter when you get drafted, but what you do with your opportunities.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
