BOULAY: Hard Work Pays Off; Winnipeg Jets Pick Nathan Smith’s Long Road to Success

For some kids, the road to NCAA hockey and the draft is a little less than straightforward.

For Minnesota State forward Nathan Smith, it’s been a long road with a lot of stops.

He played high school hockey in Florida, with a year at River Ridge and two at Mitchell High. He also played U-18 with the Tampa Scorpions. Following that, he got his chance to develop further and attract some collegiate interest at Cedar Rapids of the USHL. Currently, he’s the only drafted player on the team rated second in the Pairwise.

While these transitions have proven drastic in talent and play, Smith demonstrated an ability to be successful everywhere he went.

“The biggest (adjustment) is the speed,” Smith said. “Every level you
go up, the speed at which things happen is a lot quicker. When you get
the puck,