USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Smith Rejoins U.S. Team

Published on May 9, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Waterloo, Iowa-Former Waterloo Black Hawks forward Craig Smith proved he could skate with the best hockey players in the world last spring during the IIHF World Championships, and he will have the opportunity to do so once again after USA Hockey announced his addition to the National Team roster Wednesday.

In this tournament, Smith will be reunited with former Black Hawks linemate J.T. Brown, who was named to the squad when the initial player list was revealed last month. Smith had been completing his NHL rookie season with the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Once Nashville was eliminated, the Madison, Wisconsin, native was eligible to be added to the Team USA roster, which had not reached its 25-player limit.

The 2012 IIHF World Championships are already underway in Sweden and Finland. Team USA is 2-1, having defeated France and Canada before losing to Slovakia Tuesday. Brown has appeared in all three games, without a point, but with a +1 plus-minus rating. The National Team meets Belarus Thursday, one of four remaining preliminary round games.

At the 2011 event, Smith led Team USA with three goals while recording six total points. He went on to sign with the Predators later in the summer, making his debut for Nashville in the team's opening game last October. Smith was the NHL's eighth-leading rookie scorer with 36 points in 72 regular season games. He skated in two playoff contests with one assist.

With his addition to the National Team, Smith becomes the ninth Black Hawk to appear in multiple World Championships, joining Andrew Alberts, Tom Bissett, Jason Blake, Charlie Brown, Keith Christiansen, Mark Eaton, Paul Johnson, and Andy Roach. A three-year member of the Black Hawks and team captain in 2008-2009, Smith recorded 49 goals and 68 assists in 157 career regular season United States Hockey League games.

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