Jalen Smereck

October 2020- While Smereck is a great story and a player who is easy to cheer for, he never really caught on in the Coyotes organization. He played mostly bottom pair defenseman role with Tucson, never seeing much power play time. In the ECHL, Smereck was outstanding, putting up 14 points in 13 games last year. The Coyotes decided not to tender him a contract and he’s now a unrestricted free agent. Keith Duggan

August 2019- Smereck was great in the ECHL, he lead Norfolk defensemen in scoring with 33 points, despite only playing 44 games with the team. He also finished sixth on the team in scoring. In the AHL though, Smereck saw limited playing time, registering just one point in 16 games. With the Coyotes getting deeper depth on defense, Smereck will need to stand out this coming season. Keith Duggan

November 2018- With some veteran AHL defenseman and higher end prospects ahead of him in Tucson, Smereck begins his pro career in the ECHL with Norfolk Admirals. There he’s seeing more playing time and currently is tied for the team lead in d-men scoring with four points, all assists. Keith Duggan

April 2018- After starting the season with the Tucson Roadrunners, where Smereck didn’t see much playing time suiting up for just two games, he was returned to Flint to play one last season of junior. On his return to Flint he was named the Firebirds captain and led the team’s defenseman in points with 34 (10 goals, 24 assists). With Flint’s season ending in March, Smereck was called back up and he joined Tucson once again but hasn’t seen any game action in the AHL. Keith Duggan

April 2017- With the OHL’s Flint Firebirds season over, Jalen Smereck will now join the Coyotes AHL affiliate, Tucson Roadrunners to finish the 2016-17 campaign off and begin his pro career. Smereck earned his contract with the Coyotes, participating in the team’s development camp last summer as an invite, joining the organization for rookie camp in September on an amateur tryout, and even appeared in one preseason game before returning to Flint. Soon after returning to the OHL, he was signed by the Coyotes to a three-year, entry-level contract, becoming the first player signed right out of the Flint Firebirds organization. Passed over in two NHL Entry Drafts and selected 299^th overall in the 2013 OHL draft, along with hailing from Detroit, Smereck is defying the odds as he pushes himself up the ever-growing Coyotes prospect depth chart. He just completed a strong season in the OHL, producing nine goals and 45 points in 60 games for Flint, fifth on the Firebirds in scoring. Smereck was awarded the ‘Blue Collar Worker’ and ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ honors at the Flint Firebirds awards banquet. He plays a rugged game, despite being only average size (6-1, 195) and loves to look for the open hit as forwards cut across the blueline. Smereck moves well on the backend and has proven to be a solid offensive contributor too, seeing time on the powerplay and looking to jump up or lead the rush. With his average size, the development of his offensive game will be key to him becoming a serious NHL prospect. Keith Duggan