The Dallas Stars shored up both their prospect system and their NHL roster in one move Sunday when the team signed forward Reilly Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract and added him to the NHL roster.
Smith, 20, will join the Stars on their critical road trip and will wear No. 12. He had spent the season playing for Miami (Ohio) University, where he led the CCHA with 30 goals and 18 assists in 39 games.
The 6-foot-1, 183-pound, left-shot winger had one season of eligibility left with the RedHawks, but there had been rumors circulating that he would leave school early to join the Stars.
The Stars official Twitter account brought us this comment from general manager Joe Nieuwendyk.
"We are excited to have to Reilly join our organization after a very successful college career. We think that he has proven that he has all the characteristics of a player that will succeed at this level."
Smith was a third-round selection in the 2009 entry draft. Assigning him to the NHL is an interesting move. Our friends over at Hundred Degree Hockey will likely know more about this, but I believe since he is on an ELC and was not on the Texas Stars clear day roster, he is not eligible for the AHL playoffs.
Austin Smith, on the other hand, signed an amateur tryout contract for this season, so he is eligible to play in the AHL playoffs, and Jack Campbell is as well because he was signed from his junior squad.
[Edited after my thorough CBA scouring was made moot by Mark Stepneski just asking the Stars about it:] Even though he was signed after the trade deadline, because he was already Stars property via the 2009 draft, he is eligible to play in the NHL playoffs. Mark also reported that Smith's first game is up in the air because of some immigration issues to work through.
Official press release from the team after the jump
Frisco, Tex. -- The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed forward Reilly Smith to a three-year entry-level contract. Smith, 20, will join the Stars for the club's upcoming four-game road trip and he will be added to the NHL roster.
Dallas' third-round selection (No. 69 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Smith led Miami University (Ohio) and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) with 30 goals and 18 assists (48 points) in 39 games this season. He also won the CCHA goal-scoring title for the second straight year with 18 goals in league play.
"We are excited to have to Reilly join our organization after a very successful college career," Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. "We think that Reilly has proven that he has all the characteristics of a player that will succeed at the NHL level."
The 6-1, 183-pound forward from Mimico, Ontario, finished the season ranked second in the NCAA in goals (30) and ninth in overall scoring (48 points). He is also one of 10 student-athletes nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I hockey. The winner will be announced on April 6.
Smith notched 14 multi-point games and finished the 2011-12 campaign with points in 10 of his last 11 games. Over his three-year career as a RedHawk, Smith appeared in 121 games, collecting 66 goals and 56 assists for 122 points.
The Dallas Stars face off at the Calgary Flames on Monday at 8 p.m. CDT (TV: FOX Sports Southwest; Radio: 1310 The Ticket).