Smyth returns to Mets
Nik Passero was sitting at his desk a couple of weeks ago when he noticed a text on his phone.
The general manager/coach of the Fort Erie Meteors gets many such messages but this one immediately grabbed his attention. The sender was former Meteors defenceman Derek Smyth, who was wondering if his old coach would give him a call.
“I called him and he told me he was interested in coming back,” Passero said. “Whenever you can add a kid like that, it’s a nice add.
“It was pretty easy sliding his name tag in the stall because I knew he’d be well respected right away. He works hard and brings a bite to his game that guys respect.”
Smyth, a 20-year-old St. Catharines native, was slated to play the Meteors in 2020 but had his rookie season wiped out by the COVID pandemic.
The next season, the 6-foot-4 rearguard made the Ottawa 67’s out of training camp — he was Ottawa’s 11th-round pick in 2020 — and played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League before joining Brock this season where he is majoring in media and communications.
But with ice time hard to come by for a rookie with the Badgers, Smyth decided to play his final season of junior back where it all started.
“I thought if I had ever come back (to junior B), it would definitely be here just because I have a great connection and it’s a great spot,” Smyth said. “It’s a family here.
“Fort Erie is a great place to play.”
Smyth played 145 games for the 67’s and that experience will come in handy.
“Maturity, leadership, and he’s a great player,” Passero said when asked what Smyth brings to the table. “He’s big, he’s strong, obviously he’s lengthy. All that maturity and all that knowledge and experience from playing in Ottawa, I think it’s already helped us.”
Smyth is happy to lend his experience.
“I want to take this team however far I can take them,” he said. “I (can help) just like with their details and overall play, bringing that intensity to the lineup. Even in practice, just telling the younger guys and working on some tips and tricks and making sure everything’s quick because at the next level it’s a huge thing. If I can keep our team on that pace with the quickness and the physical play and what spots to be in at certain times, I think our team is in a good place.”
The Meteors got back on track last week with a pair of wins following a disappointing couple of games the previous week.
“Last week was really good,” Passero said. “Filled the net a little bit, got some good goals. I just think the weekend before we weren’t our best. We’re still trying to figure out who we are a little bit.”
Fort Erie dropped a 2-0 decision to the Cambridge Red Hawks Wednesday night at home to fall to 6-4 on the season.
The Meteors are at Cambridge Saturday and Caledonia Sunday.
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