By Brandon Folsom

Special to the Free Press

TRAVERSE CITY – Givani Smith gave Kris Draper plenty to think about while the Red Wings assistant to the general manager drove home from scouting Ontario Hockey League games last winter.

Smith, who was a self-proclaimed agitator for the Guelph Storm, led the OHL with 146 penalty minutes and fought eight times.

Many thought Smith’s aggressiveness, or what the 18-year-old refers to as his annoying play, was why the Red Wings drafted him with the 46th selection in the NHL draft June 25.

But they actually also liked his ability to score goals, especially in traffic in front of the net.

“The way that he scored goals was something that every time I got into the car and drove home, I would say, ‘those are the kind of goals you score at the NHL level,’ ” Draper said during the team’s development camp Wednesday at Center Ice Arena.

Draper often scouted Smith’s games against the Flint Firebirds, taking advantage of the short trip upstate to see the right wing in action.

Smith would score off deflections, rebounds and even blast in shots from short range. His headstrong play in front of the net was unlike most junior players which is what caught Draper’s eye.

“It’s where he scores his goals, and that’s the important thing,” Draper said. “There’s a lot of junior kids who are talented and can score on the outside, perimeter type players.

“Givani is a player who likes to get on the inside. He scores goals off the power play by being a net-front presence, so he gets to the net. When he gets to the net, he has good hands.”

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland saw the same thing.

“I think he goes to the paint,” Holland said. “If you want to score goals in the world today, with the size of the goalies and with the way they play defense, you got to go to the paint. You got to go to the paint, and he goes to the paint. He’s not going to be deterred.”

That was certainly true this season.

Guelph (13-49-4-2) finished last in the OHL standings, but Smith battled nightly to get his points. He scored 23 goals, the second most on his team, and had 19 assists to complement his penalty minutes.

“For me, I like to hit and also like to score goals,” he said. “I like to do both, and that’s kind of how I see myself. I’m an aggressive guy on the ice, but at the same time, I’m going to be working hard to score goals.”

Draper and Holland also said they liked Smith’s personality and hard-working attitude about joining the Red Wings as a prospect.

Smith displayed both following practice Wednesday, as he stayed after to get additional ice time and work on his offense. He practiced tips in front of the net and focused on improving his hand-eye coordination.

“That’s my office out there, so you’ll have to battle for that,” Smith said. “That’s where I mostly am, in front of the net and around the net. Now I just need to get a little bit better every single day.”

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