
By Budd Bailey
Hockey fans might remember the name Derrick Smith, who played in 10 different NHL seasons – mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s not to be confused with Derek Smith, who played in Buffalo in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Derrick did have a son who played for the Sabres … once.
Dalton Smith has a long hockey resume of his own that’s still growing. He started playing junior hockey in the 2008-2009 season with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL, and stayed for four seasons. Along the way, the left winger was drafted in the second round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 (34th overall). That was after a season that saw him score 21 goals and 23 assists in 62 games.
Smith signed a three-year, entry level contract in 2011, and in 2012 he joined the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. There the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward had nine points with 128 penalty minutes. He spent most of 2013-14 in Springfield before the winger was traded to the Tampa Bay organization. That meant he had to move over to the Syracuse Crunch for a bit more than a year. In 2015-16, Smith split his time between Providence and Lehigh Valley of the AHL.
After a year with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL in 2016-17, Smith arrived in Rochester for a good-sized stay. Dalton spent more than three years with the Americans. It was during that time that he received his one chance to play in the NHL. It came on New Year’s Eve, when the Sabres hosted Tampa Bay in the KeyBank Center. Buffalo wanted to be a little tougher up front after it was pushed around a bit in a previous game with the Lightning, so he signed a two-way NHL contract. “It’s been crazy,” Smith said before the game. “I’ve been pinching myself every once in a while. But, yeah, it’s been unbelievable, something I’ve been waiting for for a long time. I’m just very grateful for the opportunity.”
Amerks coach Chris Taylor told the website theScore, "He'd been looking for this moment for the longest time. Nothing better than getting to call him in my office and let him know he's been recalled. I could just tell on his face: It was the best thing that's ever been told to him in a long time."
At least Smith popped up on the scoresheet in Buffalo’s 6-4 loss. He only played four shifts for 1:26 of ice time, but he did have two minutes in penalties (some pushing and shoving with Tampa Bay’s Luke Schenn). How many NHL players have spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice? The Sabres blew a 4-1 lead in that game, so Dalton really couldn’t celebrate his NHL debut too much. Smith was placed on waivers a couple of days later and was returned to Rochester.
At least he could be listed on the Sabres’ all-time roster after that game. He joined his uncle, Wayne Primeau, in the team’s record book. And he picked up $23,000 for his night’s work in Buffalo.
Then it was back to the minors. In the summer of 2021, Smith jumped to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. He was there for almost three seasons, playing in a total of 107 games. He still wasn’t done with pro hockey after he stopped playing in Loveland, Colorado. He has two games with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and three games with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL to his credit this current season.
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