Sutter Smith lands with Firebirds
Sutter Smith got a head’s up Saturday about his selection in the 10th round, 201st overall of the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by the Flint Firebirds.
“My TV was delayed so I started getting a lot of texts and at that point I knew it was coming up soon. We were just waiting for the moment and when I finally saw it I was jumping up and down,” the 15-year-old Beamsville resident said. “It was awesome.”
Once the news sunk in, the Grade 10 student at West Niagara started looking ahead.
“The work’s not done yet. You may feel really good now but you have to be prepared to get to camp and be working hard still. You can’t stop the grind.”
Not longer after he was selected, he received a call from the Firebirds.
“I missed their call at first,” Smith said, with a laugh. “First they said ‘Welcome to the Flint Firebirds’ and after that they were telling me when orientation would be. At the end, they told me to enjoy the moment with your family and stuff like that.”
The 5-foot-10, 152-pound Hamilton Steel U16 AAA team left defenceman will head to Flint April 24 for a two-day camp, which will include a couple of skates and fitness testing. Until then, the grind continues.
“I work out right now with Iron Performance Centre a couple of times per week and I am just trying to bulk up a little bit.”
His goals moving forward is to continue to improve.
“I know I probably won’t play in the OHL next year but I am just trying to develop as much as I can and get stronger.”
Smith, who had five goals and 13 points in 34 regular season games for the Steel this past season, started his hockey career in Beamsville with the Lincoln Blades before joining the Niagara North Stars AAA program. The 2024-25 campaign was his first with the Hamilton Steel.
It took him awhile before he understood his potential.
“My dad (Nick Smith) has always said I have all the tools and once I started talking to teams, that is when I finally realized he might be right. I thought I had a chance at it.”
His father is a good judge of talent. Nick works with NHL Central Scouting. Before that, he played three seasons with the Barrie Colts, was a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 1997 and ended up playing 15 NHL games with Florida.
Nick has been a big influence on Sutter’s career.
“He is so knowledgeable and him playing in the NHL was a big help.”
The draft weekend was a fun one for Sutter as he got to see his cousin, Gavin Christie, chosen in third round, 58th overall by Brantford.
“It was awesome. We are really tight.”
