It’s been a tale of two summers for Nate Smith.
In 2025 the forward hoisted the Calder Cup with Abbotsford, but in doing so played through an injury that would need to be surgically repaired. That recovery process would put him a bit behind in terms of training, and as a free agent it delayed him finding a new landing spot.
But he did ultimately find a landing spot in the Queen City.
“He joined us part way through the year and had to learn new systems and a new way to play,” said Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear of Smith, who signed a two-year AHL deal with Charlotte on Dec. 11. “All coming off a summer where he didn’t get a lot of time to train.”
Smith turned in a strong season, posting 31 points in 47 games before the Checkers’ disappointingly early postseason exit.
Then came the summer of 2026 - a fresh slate for Smith to dial in and put in the work he missed out on the year before.
“I tried to focus on the conditioning, just getting a little stronger,” said Smith of his offseason. “I was able to get on the ice a lot more, which was pretty helpful for me. I felt a lot better coming into camp.”
“You can tell this year that he’s hungry,” said Kinnear. “He’s improved his fitness and he knows how we want to play.”
Beyond having a familiarity with the organization and the systems on the ice, Smith had the logistical benefit this summer of knowing where he was going to play.
“It makes things a lot easier,” he said. “It’s pretty stressful in the summer if you don’t have a deal coming into the year, with finding a place to live and things like that. I already had mine so that process was very smooth and it just made it more comfortable coming into camp. It allowed me to do my thing and not have to worry about that other stuff.”
Heading into training camp and the regular season, Smith was part of a sizable group of talented forwards that Charlotte has in its stable. With a proper offseason to ramp up, the fifth-year pro is doing what he can to stand out on the ice.
“I think it’s the same for everybody, everybody has to come out for practice and put their best foot forward,” he said. “We have a lot of guys and a lot of guys that have proved themselves in this league and the NHL as well. I think just putting your best foot forward, having good practices, doing everything you can off the ice - working out, getting on the bike - doing those extra little things that not everyone always sees but they help you in the long run. They add up and matter over time.”
After a summer of having to wait last year Smith was primed to hit the ground running, and he showed it in game one.
“It was a good start for him,” said Kinnear. “I know he was champing at the bit to play a real hockey game.”
