VANCOUVER – After four seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds, including the last two as team captain,
Jerret Smith is embarking on his professional hockey career having signed a contract with Les Ducs D'Angers in Ligue Magnus, the top division in France.
A product of Surrey, B.C., Smith appeared in 109 Canada West regular season games for the T-Birds amassing 20 goals and 68 points. Smith added another three goals and 11 points in 16 career playoff games.
With just a short list of courses remaining to complete before he graduates from UBC's Sauder School of Business, Smith will finish his credits online in France.
"In early August I got a text from the coach who told me to give him a call and that was how it happened, it was really out of the blue," said Smith who will be playing for a fellow UBC hockey alumnus in Angers head coach Brennan Sonne. "He said there was a spot in France and next thing you know I'm heading there in three weeks. This is completely brand new, I've never been to Europe before so I'm definitely excited to see what it's like over there and live a different lifestyle, it's definitely exciting but definitely a big culture shock for me."
Named to the Canada West All-Rookie team for the 2016-17 season, Smith was also named a second team conference All-Star in 2018-19.
Noted as one of the top university blue liners in the country, he played for the U SPORTS All-Star team which competed against Hockey Canada's World Junior prospects squad in December 2018 in Victoria.
Smith's numbers while at UBC were certainly impressive. But it's what he meant for the program off the ice that will leave the greatest impact, and will continue to for some time.
"His first year was my first year as a head coach. Anything that I went through and needed buy-in from at the time or anyone to lean on as a leader and captain, he was in every conversation, he was in all the ups and downs," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon who has seen Smith responsible for some of the biggest moments for the team over the past several seasons.
"Going into Alberta and beating the Golden Bears, him scoring in overtime. I think about the game against Lethbridge where we were down 3-0 and he scores four goals and we win 4-3. The way he talks about giving back, understanding how important it is to create relationships with alumni and past players, he just gets it. Definitely he'll be missed on the ice but we'll do whatever we can to keep him in the mix."
Smith has been on his new coach's radar for years, dating back to when Sonne was an assistant with the WHL's Everett Silvertips while Smith was captain of their division rival Seattle Thunderbirds.
"I watched Jerret for about 30 games in the WHL because we played them so often," said Sonne who played three seasons for UBC from 2008 to 2011. "Myself and (Everett head coach) Kevin Constantine were watching (Mat) Barzal a ton, but Mitch Love, our D coach, kept talking about Jerret, about the difference he was making, and so after all these games I could see that he was a dominant defenceman in that league. Fast forward a few years and we were looking for a defenceman very similar. I watched two games from last year and I recognized immediately what I had remembered."
Angers is certainly no stranger to the UBC Thunderbirds. In addition to Sonne, Smith will join fellow T-Bird alumni
Neil Manning and
Riley Guenther on Les Ducs' roster.
"It's definitely huge to have some guys on the team I've already met, especially playing in a new country and with a new language," said Smith. "Just to have some familiarity over there and have a couple buddies on the team I've already played with. I'm also bringing my girlfriend over and she knows a couple of the other girlfriends on the team, so hopefully that will make it an easier adjustment for her as well."
To have half of Angers' defencemen in any given game come from the T-Birds program is, in a word, remarkable, and speaks to what UBC has been developing.
"For me, I believe that UBC prepares hockey players for what you need to be a pro hockey player," explained Sonne who guided Angers to the third best record in Ligue Magnus last season, tying for the most regulation wins with 24. "You have to be smart, you have to be pliable, and you have to work hard beyond the rest of the competition. Neil and Riley have been incredible athletes and pros and we fully enjoy having them in our organization. They are both awesome people and are a pleasure to work with."
"I think he's going to get a lot of opportunity," said Butenschon of the potential in front of Smith in Angers. "I expect Smitty to go there and continue to develop. I know the coaching staff there is incredible, their attention to detail is really renowned, really impressive. I think not only is it going to be a good place to go to work everyday but it'll be a good place for him to develop."
While beginning his professional career is an exciting milestone for Smith, it also marks a bittersweet moment with the closing of one chapter as another one opens.
"It was amazing, it's four years I'll never regret," said Smith, reminiscing on his time with the T-Birds. "I met some great guys I played with. The coaching was unbelievable, the organization is unbelievable, the school is great. I really enjoyed my time at UBC. I definitely don't regret going to UBC and I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made."
