The Tri-City Americans are proud to announce that defenseman Jackson Smith has been drafted 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 NHL Draft. He becomes the 16th player to be taken in the first round of the NHL Draft in Americans franchise history, and 69th player drafted into the NHL from the Americans.
Smith, from Calgary, Alberta, was taken second overall by Tri-City in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft out of Edge School in Calgary. In his rookie season in 2023-24, Smith posted 29 points (8-21-29) in 62 games, with most of those points coming in the second half of the season.
That year he also represented Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording two assists in seven games with Team Canada Red. In August of 2024 Smith helped Team Canada win gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, picking up three assists in five games.
During the 2024-25 season Smith was the only member of the Americans to play in all 68 regular season games. He nearly doubled his point production with 54 points (11-43-54), leading all 2007-born defenseman in scoring in the WHL. That production placed him second among all 2007-born defenders in the Canadian Hockey League, behind only Xavier Villeneuve of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the Quebec and Maritime Junior Hockey League.
Smith is the first Americans player to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft since 2017 when both Michael Rasmussen (9th) and Juuso Valimaki (16th) were taken by the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames.
He is the first player in Americans franchise history to be drafted by the Blue Jackets.