NEWARK, NJ – Brendan Smith grew up around goal scorers, so even as a defenseman, offensive thoughts often creep into his mind.
As a 15-year-old, he played on a minor midget team with San Gagner and John Tavares, who finished 1-2 in league scoring – with a combined 338 points in 72 games – and Smith finished eighth that season, second among defensemen, with 22 goals and 85 points in 66 games.
In his final season at the University of Wisconsin, Smith was the nation’s top-scoring college defenseman, producing 15 goals and 52 points in 42 college games.