It has been a journey for Hawkesbury Hawks centreman, Chris Smith to get to this point in the CCHL.
Smith, 20, had been a part of a super successful midget team that produced 8 NHL players. Unfortunately for him, although successful with the team, was unable to get to the league he wanted to go to.
“I was a 4th line guy and almost everybody got drafted to the (QMJHL) and I didn’t.” said Smith. “To be honest I got salty about that. My parents said why don’t we try a different route so I decided why not prep school? It’s the way to go.”
That prep school ended up being Stanstead College in his home province of Quebec. Stanstead is known for their hockey program with a season of hockey going from September all the way to March and with practices 3-5 times a week not including off ice workouts. The team would get the chance to play against squads from New England, the Midwest, and of course, Canadian prep hockey teams. For Smith, it was a great experience to be a part of.
“It’s the best time of your life” said Smith on his time in Stanstead. “You’re always together. You and the whole team are always, always together. It brings memories that will last you a lifetime.”
But not only was off the ice a fun time, but on the ice also brought with it a chance for Smith to grow as a hockey player but also meet a teammate along the way.
“You develop on the ice every day, they have great coaches, great facilities, so you just get better and better… It led me to play with David Jankowski.”
Jankowski, 20, is currently the CCHL’s top points getter and is a teammate of Smith’s on the Hawks. The two got to play with each other for Stanstead at the exact same time. Their first meeting on the ice however left some doubts that they would play again with each other on the same line.
“Our Grade 11 year, we didn’t play together at all. We had one practice together at the beginning of the year, we were terrible together and the coach said never again. Our Grade 12 year, we got to play one more time and together I believe we had like 5 points each so ever since then our connection has been unstoppable.”
When it came time for him to take the next step, both Jankowski and Smith were recruited to be a part of the Hawkesbury Hawks by Rick Dorval. Both Smith and Jankowski however decided to go a different route.
“I thought that the best decision for myself was the BCHL. After a couple of games down there it didn’t work out, so I said “Hey Rick, I need some help, would you be willing to take me back?” He said absolutely so I came back, things were going well, got committed.”
A season later, Smith and Jankowski reunited on the Hawks squad.
“I talked to (Jankowski) and I said hey you should come back. He had also gone through the same thing, went to the BCHL and it didn’t work out. Went to Rick and said “Hey we got a good player can he come” He said sure… we’re both here now so it all worked out for the best.”
So far this season, Smith has scored 14 goals and tallied 20 assists on the year. He is currently averaging more than a point per game. He is currently committed to Mercyhurst University for the 2018-2019 season.
