SMITH - CLARKSON ATHLETIC Hall of FAME

Following his collegiate career as a member of the Clarkson Men’s Hockey team from 1965-67, Mike Smith began a path in professional hockey that helped shape several NHL franchises. Starting in the NHL in the late 1970s, Smith eventually worked his way up to front office executive, spending time with the original Winning Jets franchise, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

In 1979, Smith had his first job with the Winnipeg Jets, where he was hired as a coach in the team's minor league system. Overall, he spent 14 years with the organization, most notably as a pioneer in bringing Russian players to the NHL. He served as Director of Scouting, Assistant General Manager, and then became the team's General Manager from 1988 to 1994.

Following his long run with the Jets, Smith moved on to become a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He then had a stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs as associate General Manager before returning to the Blackhawks as Manager of Hockey Operations in December 1999. Shortly thereafter he was elevated to General Manager, a position he held for the next three years. Following the 2001-02 season, Smith was named Executive of the year by The Sporting News. 

During his tenure with the Jets and Blackhawks, Smith was responsible for drafting numerous future NHL stars, including Stu Barnes, Dustin Byfuglien, Corey Crawford, Kris Draper, Duncan Keith, Nikolai Khabibulin, Brent Seabrook, Keith Tkachuk, and James Wisniewski. Smith’s keen eye for talent was valuable during his time with USA Hockey, as he served as the coach and general manager for the team’s 1981, 1994, and 1995 appearances at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. In addition, Smith serves on the advisory board to USA Hockey. 

In 2000, Smith was presented with Clarkson’s Arnold H. Barben Award the highest honor for a Clarkson Hockey Alum. He has also been picked for two additional hall of Fames, gaining induction to the New York High School Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Smith continues to be at the forefront of innovation in hockey. In 2006, he joined Coleman Analytics to help that company develop and market an analytics package for NHL teams. In 2015, Smith was hired by Bench Metrics to develop a product which applied analytics for teams to use in the NHL Entry Draft.