One of the popular debates is if time is linear or a circle. For our purposes today we will operate under the theory that time is linear, as when it comes to North Bay Battalion prospect Reyth Smith, the big-time moments over the past year are easy to track as a line. Sure, we’ll jump around that line…but let’s just say the past year has had some major milestones.
Now, of course, big-time moments make big-time players. That’s why whether you’re on an outdoor rink or playing road hockey with your friends, you’re likely envisioning scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in Game Seven.
For Smith, no moment seems too big for the smooth skating forward. All you need to do is look at his OHL debut, a 6-2 setback for the Troops on December 13, 2023. That game was North Bay’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss” event where the hometown side’s first goal would send Teddy Bears flying to the ice. The goal scorer? None other than Smith, registering his first OHL goal 9:16 into the game.
“That was three days building up to it, it was pretty crazy,” Smith said. “We had the billet and family skate on that Sunday and (Battalion GM) Adam Dennis telling me the news and I was like ‘well here we go, this is what I have been waiting for.’ It being the Teddy Bear toss, everyone was saying ‘if Reyth scores it, jeez I swear’ and I had a few days to get the jitters out.
“Going into that game day it was a crazy feeling. I remember sitting with Mike McIvor at school and we were talking about it, and if he said if you score it will be crazy. I had a car ride with Justin Ertel to the rink and he said ‘if you get a break, I am coming out and lifting your stick to make sure you don’t score.’”
As for the play, Smith remembers it clearly.
“I was on the ice with (Owen) Van Steensel and (Anthony) Romani, and we came in on a three-on-two, Romani shot it wide, got the puck in the corner, gave it to (Brayden) Turley, yelled for it, he passed to (Paul) Christopoulos, found me through the smallest seam and I remember thinking shoot the whole time, and I blacked out. I made sure to 'celly' to the crowd, do something, it was pretty cool.”
That’s just one of a few moments where the lights may seem too bright for some this season, but not for Smith. Another big-time moment came a month later.
Smith has spent the 2023-24 hockey season plying his trade with the NOJHL’s Powassan Voodoos, the affiliate team of the Battalion. On January 26, 2024, Smith and the Voodoos welcomed the Espanola Paper Kings to Powassan, in a game in which the ‘Doos were victorious 5-4. A big reason for that? Smith scored a hat trick, going toe-to-toe with the league top scorer Lucas Signoretti as both players traded hat tricks. Sure Signoretti ended the game with four goals, but Smith’s team came away with two points.
“I remember that game vividly,” says Smith. “I remember going hard on the forecheck and getting a lucky bounce. I think (Mathieu) MacMillan, and (Chase) Thompson, we had a three-on-two and MacMillan shot, hit the end boards and I batted it out of the air and into the net.
“From that first shift I was moving my feet right away, and I found my groove right away in that game,” added Smith who was named the NOJHL's rookie of the month for January and a member of Team NOJHL East in the fall of 2023 for the Eastern Canada Cup All-star Challenge in Trenton, ON.
However, arguably to this point, his biggest moment in the past year belongs to April 22, 2023. That was day two of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection in which Smith saw his name called in the fifth round, 100th overall to North Bay.
“That was awesome,” Smith remarked. “I talked to North Bay about a week before the draft. They were one of the teams I maybe didn’t talk too much, and I talked to the scout and he didn’t think they were going to get me and that I would be gone by the third round, so they wanted to get to know me.
“Next thing you know, I am here, so it’s pretty surreal.”
“Reyth has impressed from the moment he arrived last season at development camp,” added Troops GM Adam Dennis. “He is a great teammate with an impressive set of tools at such a young age.”
From there, Reyth was sent to the Voodoos to develop right in North Bay’s backyard. The rookie admits there have been bumps along the way, but overall he has loved his time in Voodoos green.
“I think it’s gone well for me. I grew a lot as a player and personally," added Reyth, whose first name is pronounced "Wraith."
"We have the right group of guys here. I think I started the season a bit slow, found my groove in that Hearst trip, and usually you don’t have legs by the end of it, but that’s where I got off to my hot streak and ever since then I have been doing well.”
It did not take Voodoos Head Coach Peter Goulet long to recognize Smith's talents.
“When I first saw Reyth, it was at the North Bay Battalion prospects camp in May, 2023, I was super impressed after only watching a couple of shifts," Goulet added.
"I said to myself this young man is a player, wow is he good. From there I spoke to Adam Dennis about having Reyth play for the Voodoos and Adam also really liked Reyth’s game thought it would be a great opportunity for both teams and Reyth.
“From there Adam teed up a phone call for all parties to talk on the phone. Reyth came to our Powassan Voodoos prospects camp in July, both him and his dad liked what we had to say and from there as they say the rest is history.”
History indeed as all Reyth has done is rewritten the history book in Powassan. On March 9, he scored two goals and in the process, surpassed Kyle Moore’s 16-year-old goal record of 25. That’s a record that has stood since 2014/15, Powassan’s inaugural season. He finished the regular season with a team -eading 27.
“That was pretty cool,” admits Reyth. “I remember after the Christmas break I was on my hot streak. I was at the 20 or 17 goal mark and Chris (Dawson, Voodoos GM) let me know I was five away from tying it and I thought ‘oh yeah, I’ve got that.’
“I got to 23 and then I thought when is it going to come? I lost my puck luck for a bit and to finally get it in the last few games was a good feeling.”
On top of the goal scoring record, Reyth made the NOJHL Team East all-star roster for the Eastern Canada Cup in Trenton, Ontario, and was named a NOJHL second team all-star. What’s impressive of those feats is junior hockey, especially Junior “A”, is usually dominated by 19/20-year-olds…not 16-year-olds.
“Great year for Reyth all around and also signing with North Bay Battalion and playing games with them, along with practicing once per week with the big club,” Goulet stated.
“Watching him step in and become a key piece on a strong team gives us a lot of confidence at what he could be capable of next year with our club,” added Dennis.
The season isn’t over yet as at the time of this writing, the Voodoos are embroiled in a playoff series against the Hearst Lumberjacks. Through four games, the team leads Hearst 3-1 in their best-of-seven matchup. For his part, Reyth has added 5 goals, and 4 assists for 9 points in 4 games. Those stats include two goals and a setup of the overtime-winning goal in game three of the series.
“I think it’s going to be a good battle,” Reyth said at the outset of the series. “I think we have dominated them, but I don’t want to take anything for granted. I’m excited for it.”
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Reyth had the opportunity to experience a northern Ontario winter this year living in the North Bay area. However, he loves being a part of the community.
“I love it, fans are great, people are great, and it’s been a nice welcome here. My billets are awesome, and I couldn’t ask for anything better except I wish the weather was nicer. Back home everyone is telling me it’s like summer there. Here, it’s too many emotions on the weather.
“Other than that, a great community and it has been awesome.”
While the timeline has been impressive so far with Powassan, the cherry on top would be a league championship and the Voodoos have the horses to do so. It would just add to the many moments over the past year that have been special for Reyth Smith, and fans of both the Voodoos and Battalion hope for many more.
