“It was kind of a mini vacation,” Stephanie said. . "I knew this was where I wanted to go, so I committed right away. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Jake Smith, 1999-05-28 Petawawa, ON, CAN Canada. I think he really developed some leadership qualities and his game got even better by just the repetition of it.". Jack and Perbix were on the second line with high expectations of scoring goals and not missing a beat from the first line. “I sat him down and I said just make a list of your top three schools you want to go to," said Andy Smith, Jack's father. It was one of the biggest decisions of his life. His first campus trip was Ohio State, and the Buckeyes offered on the visit. Your IP: 118.67.248.230 Subscribe to sctimes.com today. Cathedral High School hockey players reflect on careers, what's next. Coming next: Jack faces an up-and-down senior year along with looking ahead to a future of possibilities, including the USHL, UMD and the NHL. Follow him on Twitter @BrianMozey. During that Bantam year, Jack played with Blake Perbix. Jack said the hardest lead to hold is a two-goal lead, and the Crusaders had to hold that for the entire third period. After Cathedral won 8-3 against in-town rival St. Although Cathedral outscored its three section tourney opponents 21-1, Jack knew it wasn’t going to be easy at the Xcel Energy Center. We just want him to do whatever he wants to do, and if he wants to go this way, we got his back. It was a moment that I’ll never forget.”. It was “probably my second favorite game in my high school career after winning the state title," Jack said. Cloud Cathedral graduate Jack Smith was selected in the fourth round of the NHL draft on Wednesday afternoon. 3 Alexandria. Smith was the 102nd overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2020 virtual NHL draft. His family members also provided different viewpoints. His confidence and leadership were high as he and the rest of the Cathedral players were on a mission — to repeat as state champs in the 2019-20 season. Jack, though, faced a hat trick of a different kind during his high school career: three major decisions in relatively short order, all of which shaped him as a hockey player and as a person. After battling through two injuries, Smith scored 51 points and 27 goals in his senior season after scoring 68 points his junior season. After three years on varsity, he came out as a leader, a role model, a teammate and a champion. Jack had never done checking in his hockey career so Brown also wanted him to ease into the physicality of high school hockey. “We wanted to take a little of the pressure off of them to not be matched up against the other team's top lines, which are usually senior guys. “That summer we talked about it a little bit,” Perbix said. Then, he wanted Cathedral to be the state champions. He's the only one in the family that's done this, so everything is always new to us. Jack took that loss hard and it pushed him to work even harder, which prepared him for another big decision. He set his sights on a state title or bust during his junior season. ", "I think we had a pretty big role," Jack said. Cloud history, according to Brown. Once Jack stepped on to the UMD campus and into the Bulldog ice arena, he was hooked. While Warner was healing, Jack and Perbix expected teammates to step up. . "Playing with packed stands in front of your city, playing your rival St. It's a difficult task, and it always makes for a memorable night. Cathedral had an opportunity of a lifetime as Hockey Day Minnesota came to St. Cloud... it was a great experience playing outdoors.". Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Jack remembers the game so well because of the crowd — and because he scored a hat trick along with two assists in a night he'll never forget. The summer before his junior year, Jack was invited to the National Team Development Program in Michigan, where the best young players in the nation focus solely on hockey development. The players weren’t celebrating until Warner connected on an empty-netter and Cathedral led 5-2. “Like how cool would it be, how good would it be [to form a line] and then it finally happened, so it was pretty awesome. Andy and Stephanie Smith described the state tournament weekend as stressful, fun and memorable. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. The one thing he focused on a lot was skating...". Warner took off a month to rehab, returned for four games but then re-injured the shoulder and was out another month — until playoffs. He wanted to play hockey in Minnesota, and Duluth was the number one on his list.". Achieving that goal involved many unexpected twists, including reshaping Cathedral's roster with younger players stepping into leadership roles. • They did, as the Crusaders went on a seven-game winning streak, ending the regular season with a 21-4 record. Jack made a list of pros and cons and talked to people who had joined this team and others who declined the offer. They formed a strong chemistry and became varsity linemates at Cathedral their sophomore season. Cathedral showed dominance in the first two games at state, with a 7-0 win against North Branch and a 6-2 win against East Grand Forks. Looking back, Jack agrees that playing Bantams was a good choice. Ultimately, he decided to finish his Cathedral career. Players were focused on winning three straight games and bringing home a state title. It worked out pretty well.”. Tyler remembers throwing his hat on the ice after Jack's hat trick, happy to see Jack have a memorable game on an unforgettable day. The Crusaders cruised through the opening rounds of sections, but lost 3-2 in double overtime in the section finals against No. "My family, teammates, coaches and friends mean a lot to me, and I wanted to share my high school years with them," Jack said. Everyone had the same mindset in each conversation: They wanted to come back and win another state title. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach. Jack Smith. “We really didn’t want to get upset again two years in a row, so kind of a relief to get out of that game and focus on the state tournament.”. Cathedral's Jack Smith found his passion for hockey from a young age, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Before Jack could start focusing on his senior year, he had another tough decision. Brown said the Crusaders already had a strong and deep roster their freshman season and having Jack and Perbix playing constantly at Bantams — rather than sitting on the varsity bench — was the best decision for growth. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Your support will allow us to continue to produce quality journalism. Jack Smith, Blake Perbix and Nate Warner reflect on their high school hockey career with the Cathedral Crusaders. "Jack hadn't done a year of Bantam hockey yet. "Could he have played high school for us [that year] and been very successful? Watch as Cathedral High School trio reflect on high school hockey careers. It was a moment that I’ll never forget. And then, after winning a state title, he had to decide whether to return to Cathedral for his senior year or join a junior hockey league that's well-known for preparing players for the next level. “It's honestly a huge honor because to be able to represent the United States and to be able to play on a hockey team for them —  it doesn't happen to everybody," Jack said.

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