The Arizona Coyotes made a few splashes before the trade deadline, going after some of the better college players headed to free agency. We saw that with the signing of Jack McBain a few weeks ago, and we saw that again today with the signing of forward Nathan Smith.
Originally drafted 91st overall in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Smith has spent the past three seasons in the NCAA playing with Minnesota State University (Mankato). The Tampa, Florida native blew up this past season when he scored a career-high 19 goals and 31 assists, nearly doubling his previous career-high 27 points in a single season.