The Ottawa Senators announced on Thursday that they have named D.J. Smith of Windsor, Ontario as their next head coach.Smith had most recently been the assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This is Smith’s first time as a head coach in the National Hockey League. He was previously the head coach of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League from 2012 to 2015. While with the Generals, he won a Memorial Cup at the Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City, Quebec in 2015. Smith also spent six seasons as an assistant and associate coach for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL from 2005-2011. Over the last four seasons, he was an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs.
Smith also spent a brief time in the National Hockey League as a player. He was the second round pick, 41st overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1995 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Smith was traded from the Islanders to the Maple Leafs with Wendel Clark of Kelvington, Saskatchewan and Mathieu Schneider for Darby Hendrickson, Sean Haggerty, Kenny Jonsson and a first round draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The pick turned out to be Canadian Olympic gold medalist Roberto Luongo of Montreal, Quebec. Luongo won a gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
A defenseman, Smith played eight games for the Maple Leafs in 1996-97, three games for the Maple Leafs in 1999-2000 and 34 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2002-03. Smith’s lone NHL assist came on a goal by Brandon Convery of Kingston, Ontario in a 2-1 Maple Leafs win over the San Jose Sharks on March 26, 1997. It was also Smith’s first NHL game. Smith’s lone NHL goal came on January 23, 2003 in a 5-0 Avalanche win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jeff Shantz of Duchess, Alberta and Martin Skoula picked up the assists.
