Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

TRAVERSE CITY -- Givani Smith has a way of making an impression.

On the ice, he is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds of energy, bulldozing his way to the net and into corners. Off the ice, he radiates exuberance with his irrepressible smile.

Smith spent today at Centre Ice Arena impressing during skating tests that served as entertainment on Day 3 of Detroit Red Wings training camp, and will suit up for the Monday’s Red and White game, after which the Wings return to Detroit.

The Wings drafted Smith this past June, in the second round, after watching him rack up 23 goals and 146 penalty minutes last season for his junior team, Guelph. He has a reputation for never taking a night off, and for pushing himself.

“The thing about Givani that impressed me is that he has an idea of what is going to separate him from the rest of the crew,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “He knows he’s not going to maybe toe-drag as well as some other guys, but he's going to be physical and he's going to go to the net-front to produce offense. Guys that like to do that are few and far between. He seems to like to do that, so that’s a positive for him.

“He led most of the skating tests, I was impressed with that, that means he's in great shape. He's done a good job. We’re going to play him in an exhibition game and I’m excited to see that. When you're playing against somebody else, it's a lot easier to be physical and I know that’s a big part of his game.”

Smith models his game after his idol Wayne Simmonds, and, said that “ever since being drafted by the Red Wings,” he’d also been studying Justin Abdelkader.

“I’m a physical player, I think of myself as a power forward,” Smith said. “I like to get pucks deep and hit guys and bring pucks to the net. I see myself as a net-front type of player, standing in front of the net and tipping pucks, and also battling in the corners.

“I like to grind guys down a little, get them off their game. Just playing hard in all areas of the ice.”

Smith said once he’s back in juniors he plans to work skill and speed. It’s a guarantee he’ll be smiling while doing so, because that’s part of his nature.

“Yeah, it’s great energy,” Blashill said. “He’s a positive person. The first time I met him, he had a smile and he was really, really big. I like both those things.”

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!