In his rookie season with the Sydney Bears, 19-year old defenceman Jarrod Smith is rocking a traditional hockey ‘flow’ that would make NHL legend Jaromir Jagr proud. Having good ‘flow’ isn’t what got Smith into the league but it’s a common hairstyle of choice in ice hockey, dating as far back as the non-helmet years.
Distinctive hair aside, as the most capped player in the Bears young brigade this this season, Smith has been causing waves with his strong on-ice play and has already been named by coach Vlad Rubes previously as a breakout player to watch.
Growing up, Smith played inline hockey and was always seen ‘riding’ his roller blades. After viewing the transition potential from inline to ice, he made the jump at nine and found his preferences lay on the ice with the speed and physicality a big drawcard. Always on the taller side, the youngster began hockey as a forward but saw more advantages for his larger frame as a defencemen.
“I like keeping everything under control in the game and keeping composure with the defensive end of the game,” Smith said.
The right-handed player defencemen had talent on the ice from an early age, representing NSW in Brown state teams as well as being selected as the Ice Hockey NSW 2010 Bantam MVP whilst playing for the Blacktown Flyers. After taking two-and-a-half years off from the sport, Smith came back strong for the final ten games of the ECSL season with the former Vipers (now Blueline Bombers) and used that as a stepping stone to propel himself into the AJIHL. His season as a member of the Sydney Wolfpack followed by an off-ice opportunity gave Smith the opportunity to compete at the next level.
“I pretty much stepped up and starting doing the off-season, off-ice with the Bears,” Smith said. “They liked the way I played and here I am now playing with them and feel like I’m doing pretty well.”
As a young hockey player in Australia, Smith always aspired to play the sport at the highest level with the AIHL at its peak. Fellow Sydney Bears’ Cameron Todd and Alec Stephenson are childhood buddies having played together for nine years.
“I’ve grown up playing with them and they’ve been two of my closest mates since a young age,” Smith said. “It’s been great to fall into a team with them as we get older and still play together. It’s good to be able to play with close mates and come up through the ranks.”
Both Todd and Stephenson have represented Australia and Smith welcomes that opportunity if and when it comes.
“In the next few years I’m hoping to get up to that speed,” Smith said. “I know the Australian team has some great guys in it and they’re doing real well lately so I suppose I have to sit back and kind of wait my turn but that’s what I’m aiming for. Only time can tell, I’m just trying to play the best hockey I can play and worry about the Bears and my own game at the moment.”
Smith states that amongst trying to get his legs back in general let alone pick speed up for the league, he found the speed and physicality of the AIHL the major difference when making the jump from the ECSL and the AJIHL.
“That’s the main thing I noticed; the speed, your reaction time, learning to get hit and learning to give hits,” Smith said. “Getting some minutes under my belt now so I’ve come up to speed, not so much personally but fitting into the speed of the game. I’m looking for passing options and finding them quicker, making decisions a lot quicker and just stuff like that in general.”
Being defensively paired with Bears’ veteran Spencer Austin enabled Smith to be shown the ropes around the league with advice on how to play at the speed needed on ice. A short roster has seen the pair split occasionally, but Austin has been proud of what he’s seen on ice from his partner.
“This is his first year in the league and I think he’s doing awesome,” Austin said. “He was nervous initially but he’s brought more patience both to the puck now and how he approaches the game in the rink and in the change room. He’s only young, but he has a lot more discipline with his game and he has a big future.”
An admirer of two-time Stanley cup winner Drew Doughty of the LA Kings, Smith admires his versatility on ice as defencemen. Doughty evolved from a stay-at-home blue liner to providing a steady offensive blue line presence and developing into a complete player that plays with a poise and composure that belied his youth.
Smith looks to play his own game but parallels can be seen between the players. Starting the season focusing solely on being defensively responsible, he soon picked up game speed and saw the opportunity to join in on the rush, often acting like a fourth forward on the ice.
“A lock-tight defensive defenseman doesn't usually get a sniff at the puck,” Smith said.
This has raised his play to another level and developed into a more complete player over the course of the season. Smith states that the Bears’ import’s style of defensive responsibility through the neutral zone while gaining the zone allows him to take advantage and to return to a more aggressive offensive role.
“They’re all very defensive so I’ve learnt that I can go a little more offensive when playing with them and help them out a little more on the ice,” Smith said.
As a young defencemen, Smith finds Bears' goalkeeper and import Daniel Palmkvist’s talkative on-ice nature a great help on the ice
“Every time I’m coming down and I’ve got a 3-1 or a 2-1 he’s telling me, in the back of my head yelling, ‘you’ve got this guy,’ ‘who’s got this guy’, ‘cover the passing lanes,’” Smith said. “Always telling me when I’ve got pressure on me and just really good to have out there. He’s the kind of goalie you need for young blokes like me. He’s a goalie so he knows the best chances of them scoring and telling us what options to cut off so he has the best chance to save the puck.”
The Swedish goalie has seen changes in Smith’s game throughout the season and named him one of the Bear’s best defencemen.
“He’s making smarter decisions out there now and really trying to improve every game,” Palmkvist said.
With the playoffs now out of reach for the Sydney Bears, Smith is looking to finish out the rest of the season well and make sure they do some damage next year. Interactions with the imports have encouraged him with the various hockey opportunities available overseas for further development of his skills although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
With 23 games under his belt as a rookie for the AIHL, Smith had some advice for local players looking to come into the league next season.
“Be prepared to listen to all the older blokes that you’re playing with, they’ve been around for a lot longer than you and know the right things to say and do so always take in everything they’re saying,” Smith said. “Whatever anyone says, take it in and just be prepared to step up. It’s all about just getting used to the league and playing some hard hockey.”
The Sydney Bears will face CBR Brave on Sunday afternoon at Sydney Ice Arena.
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