Devils draft offensive D-man Ty Smith 17th overall

The New Jersey Devils selected Ty Smith with the 17th overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night.

Position: Defense
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 170 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Spokane Chiefs
Nationality: Canadian

(Five-on-five stats courtesy: prospect-stats.com)

Smith finished second among WHL defensemen in points last season. His Spokane Chiefs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, but he managed seven points in as many games.

His best attribute is his brain. He thinks the game so much better than his peers, and it made him one of the best offensive defensemen eligible in the 2018 NHL Draft.

He makes an excellent first pass out of his own end and is great at slowing the game down when necessary. He uses his high hockey IQ to locate gaps in the opposition's defense, both by making long stretch passes and by finding space for his teammates to feed him coming off the point.

While he's a good skater, Smith lacks the elite speed scouts like to see in undersized defensemen. It shouldn't hinder his ability to produce points at the next level, but it could make him a liability defensively against bigger, faster players.

"His best trait is his hockey IQ, as his instincts and decision-making with the puck are very good," said The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "He’s so smooth handling the puck and rarely seems to get pressured even in tight spaces."