The Flint Firebirds have another player putting pen to paper as defenseman Blake Smith signed a three-year entry level NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the signing on its X account and said the contract will begin in the 2025-2026 season.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defenseman was an alternate captain for the Firebirds the past two seasons and set career-highs with 10 goals, 22 assists, and 32 points in 2025.
Smith was named the best shot blocker in the Western Conference in a 2024-2025 OHL Coaches Poll.
Smith tallied 13 goals and 41 assists across 244 OHL games and was originally acquired by the Firebirds in a trade with the Oshawa Generals in November of 2022.
The 20-year-old Oshawa, Ontario native comes from a family full of NHL ties as his father, Derek, played 537 games in the NHL across 10 seasons, primarily as a center for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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