Smith Named MeiGray ECHL Alumnus Of The Month

Published on November 13, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the MeiGray Group ECHL Alumnus of the Month for October.

The leading distributor of game-worn hockey jerseys and "Official Game-Worn Jersey Source of the ECHL," MeiGray has sold almost 5,000 game-worn ECHL jerseys since the program began in 2002-03, including nearly 1,000 each of the past four seasons.

Smith ranked second in the league during October with a goals-against average of 1.80 and was 2-2-2 with a shutout and an overtime win. He stopped 21 shots in a 1-0 win against Minnesota on Oct. 18 and made a season-high 42 saves on Oct. 11 against Carolina and on Oct. 25 against San Jose.

Selected in the fifth round (161st overall) by Dallas in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Smith was selected to the 2003 ECHL All-Star Game as a rookie and was 11-10-4 with a goals-against average of 2.55 and a save percentage of .910 in 27 games with Lexington.

In his third professional start on Oct. 22, 2002, Smith picked up not only his first win and his first shutout, but also scored his first-ever goal in a 2-0 win over Dayton. With Lexington leading 1-0 late in the third period, Dayton dumped the puck behind the net where Smith gained control and flipped it out of the zone. The puck hit in the center face off circle and then slid untouched into the empty net at 19:04. The goal by the then 20-year-old Smith, who is the youngest goaltender ever to score a goal in a professional game, was featured on ESPN's NHL 2Night.

The 26 year old was selected to the 2006-07 NHL All-Rookie Team after going 12-5-2 with three shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.23 and a save percentage of .912 in 23 games for Dallas. He was selected as one of the NHL Three Stars on Nov. 26, 2006 and Feb. 12, 2007 and was the first goaltender in Stars history to record a shutout in his first NHL game.

The 6-foot-3 and 211-pound netminder was acquired by Tampa Bay from Dallas on Feb. 26 with Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and a fourth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist.

Smith had a shutout and a goals-against average of 2.79 in 13 games with the Lightning after going 12-9-0 with two shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.46 and a save percentage of .906 in 21 games with the Stars. He was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week for the week ending Nov. 25 after going 3-0-0 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .963 to help Dallas move into first place in the Pacific Division.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams.

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