Ty Smith's journey brings him to the Penguins

Ty Smith has already had a long offseason.

At least the first 30-plus hours of it.

After finishing the 2021-22 season as a member of the New Jersey Devils, he drove home.

Across the expanse of an entire continent.

The left-handed defenseman hopped in his car with his father, Wayne Smith, and trekked from Newark, N.J. to Vancouver, where he performs his offseason training.

“This is probably my last year doing that drive,” Smith laughed while chatting during a video conference on Sunday. “I just couldn’t fly. I had a deviated septum. So, I had to get surgery done, a really minor thing. I felt fine the next day but I couldn’t fly with the pressure change (in the air). And I just bought a new car last year so I decided to drive home. So I flew my dad down, went to a Yankees game and drove home the next day.

“He’s in Saskatoon so it’s a little over 30 hours I guess to Saskatoon. … Just stopping for food and gas. Didn’t sleep anywhere. We just kept rotating. I drove to probably three in the morning. He’s normally a guy that will drive all night and do it all himself. But I guess he’s getting old. It was his turn to drive and he drove for probably 10 minutes, woke me up and said, ‘I’m too tired.’ So I drove the rest of the way until probably eight in the morning. Then he had a good shift after that. It was definitely a lot of fun driving home with him. Dropped him off in Saskatoon, saw my family for a day then had to get back out to Vancouver to start my training. It was about 15 or 16 hours (to Vancouver).”

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If he ever does choose to drive across North America again, he’ll be able to shave roughly six hours off that journey now that he’s a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On Saturday, the Devils sent Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft to the Penguins in exchange for defenseman John Marino.

The 22-year-old is eager for a fresh start after plateauing in his second season an NHLer in 2021-22.

“I just kind of knew there was a possibility (of being traded) with what they’re doing there in (New) Jersey,” Smith said. “Didn’t really think too much about it though. Woke up, it was probably like 9:30 (a.m. on the West Coast) and had a couple of missed calls and (text messages). Tom Fitzgerald, the (general manager) of New Jersey called me and told me I had been traded to the Penguins. It was kind of a quick talk. It was a little bit of a roller coaster. Obviously, Pittsburgh is an amazing team. Heard really good things about the city. And obviously, they have hall of fame guys on their team.

“It’s really exciting, really cool. A team that’s a contender.”

Smith was a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) in 2018 and enjoyed a strong rookie campaign in 2020-21, appearing in 48 games and scoring 23 points (two goals, 21 assists) while averaging 20:07 of ice time per contest. After the season, Smith was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

But his production waned during his sophomore campaign as he posted only 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 66 games and saw his ice time drop to an average of 17:30 per contest.

“Obviously, the numbers were a little bit better my first year,” said Smith (5-foot-11, 181 pounds.) “That just kind of happens sometimes I guess, you go through slumps a little bit. I’m looking forward to next year.”

Where Smith will fit in on the Penguins next season appears to be a work in progress. The Penguins have nine NHL-caliber defensemen under contract and one will likely be moved off the roster in some fashion. Additionally, Smith is the only member of that group who doesn’t have to be exposed to waivers in order to be sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

“We have high hopes for Ty,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said on Saturday. “Obviously, we gave up John Marino for him who is a very, very good NHL player. … Obviously, there’s a little bit of risk on our part there, but we felt pretty good about it. But in terms of coming to (training) camp, like every other player, there’s obviously players you know that are going to be on our team. We’ve got a lot of defensemen right now. We’ll see how things play out with Ty.”

Smith offers some versatility in that he can play either side of the blue line.

“I played there my whole junior career, when I was 16 until I was 19,” said Smith, who served as captain of the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs for two seasons. “I played the right side for probably 95% of that. But so far, my first two years pro have been on the left side for the most part. I’m kind of comfortable with either side, wherever the coaching staff sees I fit the best.”

Regardless of the details of what pairing or what side he is deployed, Smith is optimistic he’ll find a way to fit in with the typically aggressive Penguins.

“I’m a guy who likes to skate,” Smith said. “I kind of rely on that and my hockey sense, I guess, and my ability to make plays and the first pass. In Pittsburgh, they like that. They like skill and possession. They’re a skating team. That’s something that goes with the way I play. Hopefully, that works out.”

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