NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - With Jack Hughes in the New Jersey Devils’ development camp, it’s easy to overlook Ty Smith.
Hughes was the No. 1 overall selection in the draft last month and much is expected of the playmaking center. It’s almost certain he will be on the Devils’ roster when the regular season opens in October and the packed-crowd at the team’s training rink in the Prudential Center roared on Wednesday when he was introduced before a four-team, 3-on-3 competition.
Much like the other three dozen young players at the weeklong gathering, the 19-year-old Smith received polite applause.
What people tend to forget is Smith was the Devils’ first-round pick a year ago - 17th overall - and he nearly made the roster after a tremendous training camp.
A year later, Smith may be ready to take that next step. The puck-moving defenseman has added about 8 pounds since last year and he is coming off a great season in the Western Hockey League. He had seven goals and a career-high 62 assists, the second-highest single-season total in league history.
Devils coach John Hynes said Smith appears to have matured in the past year, noting his body is thicker and he looks fit.
“He is not a wide-eyed kid here that is taking everything in for the first time,” Hynes said of the WHL defenseman of the year. “It’s the second time he is coming into the culture of what we are doing. He sees the needs and knows what you are talking about. He seems a lot more confident. I don’t want to say on a mission, but he seems a little more focused as opposed to taking everything in for the first time.”
Hynes expects Smith to be a motivated player when training camp starts in September.
Smith will be trying to break into a veteran defensive unit. It’s led by captain Andy Greene and recently acquired Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban. Sami Vatanen, Damon Severson, Will Butcher, Mirco Mueller and Connor Carrick are returning from last season’s team.
Despite being a little bigger and stronger, Smith doesn’t believe he has lost any quickness or agility.
“I like to get the puck and give the puck to the forwards,” Smith said. “My dad always tells me ’Get the puck to the skill and then support it.’ They’ll make the play and then join the rush in the second wave and create offense.”
Smith refuses to speculate when he will play in the NHL. He saw action in the preseason last season and was sent back for another year of junior hockey, helping the Chiefs get to the semifinal round of the WHL playoffs.
“I feel confident in myself, that I can play,” he said. “Whenever the Devils want me to. It’s up to them. I have to be the best I can possibly be and come out and compete, compete for a job. It’s not easy to make the NHL. It’s up to them.”
NOTES: Hughes’ team won the 3-on-3 competition, posting a 1-0 win over a squad that included Joey Anderson, his roommate for the camp and a player who saw some time with the Devils last season. … Xavier Bernard, a fourth-round pick in 2018, had the only goal in the deciding game. Akira Schmid, a Swiss native who was a fifth-round pick last year, had the shutout.
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