From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013
looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their
Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 4 takes a look at young forward Ben Smith.
Ben Smith was born on July 11th, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was raised in Avon, Connecticut. Smith began his hockey career at Boston College, where he played for four years. In his freshman season of 2006-2007, Smith played in forty-two games, scoring eight goals and adding eight assists. During the next season, Smith blossomed into a higher-scoring player, recording twenty-five goals and twenty-five assists during his sophomore year. This led him to be drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He failed to match that success in his junior year, playing a career-low thirty-seven games with only six goals and eleven assists to his credit. Finally, in his senior season of 2009-2010, Smith rebounded to play in forty-two games while netting sixteen goals and supplying twenty-one assists. He then joined the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League for their playoffs in the same season, scoring one goal in three games. Smith spent a majority of the 2010-2011 season in Rockford, playing in sixty-three games and scoring nineteen goals and twelve assists. He also made six appearances in the NHL, where he had one goal. Smith had three goals during the seven games in the postseason for that season. He continued with the Blackhawks in 2011-2012, but struggled with only two goals in thirteen games, and still had yet to record an assist at the NHL level, so he was sent back to Rockford. There, he played in thirty-eight games, scoring fifteen goals and passing sixteen more assists. Smith stayed with the IceHogs in 2012-2013, playing in fifty-four games to the tune of twenty-seven goals and twenty assists. This earned him a return to the NHL after the lockout, but he was often a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks, scoring just one goal in one game. The Blackhawks did return to the playoffs, but Smith was still frequently watching the game from the press box. The one exception to this came in Game 3 against the Boston Bruins in Boston, when Marian Hossa was declared too injured to play and Smith was subbed into the lineup, skating on the second line. This appearance in the 2-0 loss at the time may not have meant much, but when the Blackhawks won the next three games straight, Smith had the honor of having his name automatically engraved onto the Stanley Cup as 2013 champion.
Ben Smith was born on July 11th, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was raised in Avon, Connecticut. Smith began his hockey career at Boston College, where he played for four years. In his freshman season of 2006-2007, Smith played in forty-two games, scoring eight goals and adding eight assists. During the next season, Smith blossomed into a higher-scoring player, recording twenty-five goals and twenty-five assists during his sophomore year. This led him to be drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He failed to match that success in his junior year, playing a career-low thirty-seven games with only six goals and eleven assists to his credit. Finally, in his senior season of 2009-2010, Smith rebounded to play in forty-two games while netting sixteen goals and supplying twenty-one assists. He then joined the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League for their playoffs in the same season, scoring one goal in three games. Smith spent a majority of the 2010-2011 season in Rockford, playing in sixty-three games and scoring nineteen goals and twelve assists. He also made six appearances in the NHL, where he had one goal. Smith had three goals during the seven games in the postseason for that season. He continued with the Blackhawks in 2011-2012, but struggled with only two goals in thirteen games, and still had yet to record an assist at the NHL level, so he was sent back to Rockford. There, he played in thirty-eight games, scoring fifteen goals and passing sixteen more assists. Smith stayed with the IceHogs in 2012-2013, playing in fifty-four games to the tune of twenty-seven goals and twenty assists. This earned him a return to the NHL after the lockout, but he was often a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks, scoring just one goal in one game. The Blackhawks did return to the playoffs, but Smith was still frequently watching the game from the press box. The one exception to this came in Game 3 against the Boston Bruins in Boston, when Marian Hossa was declared too injured to play and Smith was subbed into the lineup, skating on the second line. This appearance in the 2-0 loss at the time may not have meant much, but when the Blackhawks won the next three games straight, Smith had the honor of having his name automatically engraved onto the Stanley Cup as 2013 champion.
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