Matthias Smith, a product of the Comox Valley Minor Hockey system, has landed in Concord, New Hampshire where he tends goal in an elite U16 league.
The 16-year-old had been honing his goalkeeping skills the last two years at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Penticton. This past April, he raised some eyebrows at a Cowichan Valley Capitals training camp.
“He did phenomenally well. He took everybody by surprise,” said Lou Gravel, a teacher at Smith’s former high school — Mark Isfeld Secondary — and head scout for the Capitals junior A hockey team.
In July, Smith tended goal for Team Canada West — of which Gravel was general manager — at the Chowder Cup in Boston. Organized by people who work for central scouting of the National Hockey League, the invitational tournament features top prospects from Canada and the U.S.
“You get a sense of how many really good hockey players there are all across North America,” Smith said by email. “Our team didn’t do as well as we had hoped, but I think we all had fun getting to meet players from all over and becoming a team for a short period of time.”
Smith acquitted himself well enough in Boston to garner a contract offer from the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs U16 AAA team, which competes in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League.
“It’s the number one prospects league in the United States,” said Gravel, himself a goalie during his playing days for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. “Kids from all over the world are being recruited to that top league…He has a bright future ahead of him.”
“I really like the team feeling that I get when I walk into the dressing room,” said Smith, who feels privileged to see and play hockey in various American cities. “The coaches really care about us and our development.”
Gravel notes that Smith — who is in Grade 11 at a New Hampshire school — was a straight A student in French immersion at Isfeld. After he graduates from high school, Smith hopes to play junior hockey, and then earn a spot on an NCAA college or university team.
“That has been a goal of mine for many years.”
At six feet in height, Smith may not be considered a tall goalie. But if six feet is considered a height restriction in the world of hockey, it’s not deterring the young man who got his start in the Comox Valley.
“It comes down to how hard you work and how badly you want it,” he said.