Brendan Smith (ice hockey)

Brendan Smith
Born	(1989-02-08) February 8, 1989 Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player
Years active	2010–present
Known for	Playing as defenceman and forward in the NHL for multiple teams including Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets

Brendan Smith (born February 8, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey athlete currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League (NHL). Although primarily positioned as a defenceman, Smith has also taken on the role of forward during his professional career. He was chosen 27th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and was among the finalists for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award.

Playing career

Prior to the 2007 Draft, Smith competed with the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League's St. Michael's Buzzers, where he led all defencemen by scoring 36 points in his sophomore season. In 2006, he earned selection to the CJAHL All-Star Game and secured a silver medal representing Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge 2006. Following three seasons at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Smith inked a three-year entry-level contract with Detroit on May 27, 2010.

Detroit Red Wings

Smith debuted in the NHL on November 17, 2011, facing off against the San Jose Sharks. His recall came on February 27, 2012, filling the vacancy left by Mike Commodore, who was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning that day. Smith netted his inaugural NHL goal against goaltender Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild at the Joe Louis Arena on March 2, 2012.

During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season, he appeared in 34 contests and registered his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal on May 6, 2013, during game four of Detroit’s Western Conference quarterfinal series versus the Anaheim Ducks.

On July 16, 2013, Smith secured a two-year contract extension with the Red Wings valued at $2.525 million. Subsequently, on June 30, 2015, Detroit further extended his contract for two years worth $5.5 million.

New York Rangers

In the final season of his contract during the 2016–17 NHL season, Smith was traded to the New York Rangers on February 28, 2017. The trade returned a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to Detroit. Smith provided stability to New York’s defensive unit, tallying four points across 18 games.

Smith agreed to a four-year deal worth $17.4 million with the Rangers on June 29, 2017. Nevertheless, reports indicated that he arrived at training camp out of shape amid broader team difficulties. On February 8, 2018, due to underwhelming performance, Smith was placed on waivers and subsequently assigned to New York’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, after going unclaimed. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a broken hand during practice that prematurely ended his season.

During the subsequent 2018 campaign, under new head coach David Quinn, Smith enhanced his performance and minimized penalties despite limited ice time. To maintain his presence in a crowded defensive lineup, Quinn occasionally deployed Smith as a forward—a position he had briefly occupied during his junior years. In the following 2019–20 season, Smith played exclusively as a winger before returning full-time to defense after the Rangers traded away Brady Skjei.

Carolina Hurricanes

Following five seasons with the Rangers, Smith inked a one-year contract worth $800,000 with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 29, 2021.

New Jersey Devils

Smith secured a two-year contract valued at $2.2 million with the New Jersey Devils on July 13, 2022. He netted his inaugural goal for the Devils during a 6–2 victory against the Ottawa Senators on December 29, 2023, scoring on a breakaway shortly after exiting the penalty box.

Dallas Stars

On July 1, 2024, Smith agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million with the Dallas Stars. Throughout the 2024 campaign, he provided experienced physicality on defense, tallying 1 goal and accumulating 6 points over 32 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets

After remaining unsigned following his stint with the Stars, Smith accepted a professional tryout offer (PTO) from the Columbus Blue Jackets on August 19, 2025. Although he did not secure a spot on the NHL roster after training camp, he signed a PTO with Columbus’s AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, on October 13. Eventually, on November 24, Columbus signed Smith to a one-year contract, prolonging his NHL tenure.

Personal life

Smith was raised in Etobicoke, Ontario alongside his parents Deidre and Lester and his two brothers, Rory and Reilly. The trio played minor hockey together in the Mimico area with the Faustina Sports Club before advancing to the St. Michael's Buzzers minor junior team. Notably, he faced off against his brother Reilly during the opening round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, when his Detroit Red Wings matched up against Reilly’s Boston Bruins.

Smith and his wife Samantha are parents to a son and a daughter.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	St. Michael's Buzzers	OPJHL		39	5	21	26	55		17	1	5	6	44
2006–07	St. Michael's Buzzers	OPJHL		39	12	24	36	90		16	6	14	20	30
2007–08	University of Wisconsin	WCHA		22	2	10	12	26		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	University of Wisconsin	WCHA		31	9	14	23	75		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	University of Wisconsin	WCHA		42	15	37	52	76		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		63	12	20	32	124		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		14	1	6	7	13
2011–12 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL |57 |10 |24 |34 |90 | — | — | — | — | — |-	2012–13 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL |32 |5 |15 |20 |49 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2012–13 NHL season | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |34 |0 |8 |8 |36 |14 |2 |3 |5 |10 |-		2013–14 NHL season | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |71 |5 |14 |19 |68 |5 |0 |0 |0 |8 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2014–15 NHL season | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |76 |4 |9 |13 |68 |5 |0 |0 |0 |6 |-	2015–16 NHL season Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 3 12 15 62 3 0 1 1 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2016–17 NHL season Detroit Red Wings NHL 33 2 3 5 34 — — — — — |-	2016–17 New York Rangers NHL 18 1 3 4 29 12 0 4 4 20 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"		2017–18 NHL season New York Rangers NHL 44 1 7 8 69 — — — — — |-	2017–18 AHL season Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 11 0 2 2 8 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2018–19 NHL season New York Rangers NHL 63 4 9 13 71 — — — — — |-	2019–20 NHL season New York Rangers NHL 62 3 5 8 71 3 0  0  0 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2020–21 NHL season New York Rangers NHL 48 5 5 10 73 — — — — — |-	2021–22 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL45 4 4 8 36 14 1 3 4 12 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2022–23 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL60 0 5 5 63 3 0 1 1 12 |-	2023–24 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL63 5 10 15 61 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2024–25 NHL season Dallas Stars NHL32 1 5 6 33 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"	NHL totals !726 !39 !105 !144 !787 !59 !3 !12 !15 !72 | } International Year Team Tournament Placement   GP G A Pts PIM 2006 Canada Ontario U17 5th place 5 0 4 4 4 Junior career totals 5 0 4 4 4 Awards and honours Award Season College Achievements Selected to the WCHA First Team 2009–10 Named to the AHCA West First-Team All-American 2009–10 Included in the NCAA All-Tournament Team 2010 External links