Ty Smilanic

March 2022 – Smilanic has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens in a swap involving Ben Chiarot. His scoring has regressed this season, his second with Quinnipiac in the NCAA, and he hasn’t really taken that step forward that fantasy managers wanted to see from him. Nevertheless, Montreal has a comparably weak prospect pipeline to Florida’s, so Smilanic is still in the mix as one of the Canadiens’ top prospects down the middle. He’ll need to show more consistency with his scoring in the near future to reestablish his NHL trajectory. Ben Gehrels

January 2021 – It has been a strong start for the product of Denver, Colorado. Skating in his inaugural season with Quinnipiac University, the Freshman sits third among U19 skaters with eight points (6G + 2A). Smilanic, a third-round-pick for the Panthers, is proving his worth at the Collegiate level and showing that his above-average scoring ability can translate to higher ranks. He is not overly aggressive in nature and tends to shy away from the dirty areas. However, he plays well in his own zone and can transition well to the offensive, keeping himself open to sniff out loose pucks and gun for potential scoring opportunities. So far, he has lived up to his mid-draft hype, and then some. Dave Hall

October 2020 – Smilanic was drafted 74th overall by the Panthers. Smilanic is expected to spend at least two years in college before turning pro.  Jokke Nevalainen

October 2019 – Smilanic is a goal-scorer. Simple as that. He has a deadly shot. Whether it’s a one-time bomb or a lightning-quick snap shot. He locates his shot well and changes his shot angle with curls and drags thrown into his shooting motion. His playmaking goes unheralded because he generally doesn’t refrain from shooting the puck but when he sees a teammate in a prime scoring area, he is able to showcase his crisp passing and excellent puck skills. He isn’t going to develop into a Selke Trophy candidate but he does a decent job defensively. He is a fairly average defensive center overall. He is in passing lanes and he skates well which helps him stay in front of defenders at the blue line, often forcing passes. He doesn’t excel in any area in his own end but also doesn’t seem to struggle in any great capacity. Smilanic is a dependable sniper who can hold his own in the possession department. Watch for him to be near the top of the scoring leaders among the USNTDP players. Pat Quinn