Devante Malik Smith-Pelly (born June 14, 1992) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
winger. He was selected by the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center.
...
in the second round, 42nd overall, of the
2010 NHL Entry Draft. Smith-Pelly played in the style of a
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
and was known for his hitting and forechecking abilities. Smith-Pelly won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
as a member of the Capitals in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.
Playing career
Junior
Smith-Pelly began his major junior career in 2008–09, recording 25 points over 57 games with the
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario an ...
of the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...
(OHL). During the 2009 playoffs, he added five points over 11 games. One of his two goals ended the second-longest game in OHL history, as he scored in triple-overtime to eliminate the
Barrie Colts
The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League, based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Pre-OHL history
There were two previous Barrie Colts teams which played Junior A & B hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, one from 1 ...
in the conference quarterfinals. The following season, he improved to 62 points over 60 games. In the subsequent summer, he was selected 42nd overall by the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center.
...
in the
2010 NHL Entry Draft.
![Devante Smith-Pelly Ducks 2012-02-15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Devante_Smith-Pelly_Ducks_2012-02-15.JPG)
Returning to the OHL for a third season following his draft, Smith-Pelly recorded a junior career-high 36 goals and 66 points over 67 games. He added 21 points in 20 OHL playoff games, as the Majors lost in the Finals to the
Owen Sound Attack
The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the J.D. ...
. Despite losing the OHL title, the Majors qualified for the
2011 Memorial Cup
The 2011 Memorial Cup was a four-team round-robin format ice hockey tournament played from May 20–29, 2011 in Mississauga, Ontario. It was the 93rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Ca ...
, Canada's national major junior tournament, by way of having been chosen as the host team at the beginning of the season. Advancing to the final, the Majors were defeated by the
Saint John Sea Dogs
The Saint John Sea Dogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team was founded as an expansion team in 2005 and play at TD Station in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Sea Dogs became the first tea ...
In the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
Final, 3–1. Smith-Pelly recorded six points over five games and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team.
Professional
Although eligible for one more OHL season in
2011–12, Smith-Pelly made the Anaheim Ducks' roster out of training camp. He recorded five points in his first 26 games before the Ducks agreed to loan him to the
Canadian national junior team in December 2011.
![Devante Smith-Pelly - New Jersey Devils](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Devante_Smith-Pelly_-_New_Jersey_Devils.jpg)
During his first full season in the NHL with the Ducks in
2014–15, having produced 17 points in 54 games, on February 24, 2015, he was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in exchange for
Jiří Sekáč.
In the following
2015–16 season, Smith-Pelly got off to a strong start with the Canadiens as they had a franchise-best 9 straight wins to start the year. However, with only 6 goals through 46 games, he was dealt by the Canadiens to the New Jersey Devils, just a little over a year from when he was acquired on February 29, 2016, in exchange for
Stefan Matteau. During the offseason, on July 1, 2016, Smith-Pelly signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension with the Devils.
After Smith-Pelly regressed in the
2016–17 season, he was placed on waivers by the Devils in order to buy out the remaining year and $1.3 million left on his contract on June 30, 2017. On July 3, 2017, he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
with a $650,000 salary.
On February 17, 2018, Smith-Pelly was the target of a racist chant by four fans at the
United Center
United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...
during a game against the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
.
The four fans, who were chanting the word "basketball", were escorted out of the United Center and issued a lifetime ban from the arena by the Blackhawks organization.
Both the NHL and Blackhawks condemned the action of the four fans and apologized to Smith-Pelly.
Smith-Pelly scored seven goals in the 2018 playoffs, including the tying goal in the clinching game five of the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
, helping the Capitals secure their first NHL title in team history. Smith-Pelly became the second player in NHL history, behind
Patrice Bergeron-Cleary to have a hyphenated surname engraved on the Stanley Cup.
During the
2018–19 season, Smith-Pelly continued with the Capitals in a fourth-line role. Through inconsistent play and contributing with 8 points in 54 games, on February 20, 2019, Smith-Pelly was placed on
waivers by the Washington Capitals before successfully clearing on 21 February. He was then assigned to affiliate, the Hershey Bears, returning to the AHL for the first time since 2014.
Smith-Pelly returned to the Washington Capitals during the 2019 Stanley Cup first-round series after
T. J. Oshie
Timothy Leif "T. J." Oshie (born December 23, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2005 NHL ...
was injured in Game 4 versus the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
.
Leaving the Capitals as a free agent, Smith-Pelly, with limited NHL interest, opted to sign abroad for the first time in his career, agreeing to a one-year contract with Chinese-based club,
HC Kunlun Red Star
HC Kunlun Red Star () is a Chinese ice hockey club that joined the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) prior to the 2016–17 season.
History
Preparation of the team
In March 2016, representatives of Kunlun Red Star and the KHL signed a protocol o ...
of the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
. In the
2019–20 season, Smith-Pelly in a checking-line role added 8 goals and 11 points through 36 regular season games.
In the pandemic delayed
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season, Smith-Pelly belatedly returned to the North American professional circuit after accepting a professional tryout contract with the Ontario Reign of the AHL, primary affiliate to the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
on March 13, 2021. While playing with the Reign, Smith-Pelly played on a line with
Quinton Byfield
Quinton Byfield (born August 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Byfield was selected second ...
and
Akil Thomas
Akil Thomas (born January 2, 2000) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Los Angeles Kings. Prior to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Thom ...
, forming the first all-Black line in the history of the team. On December 30, 2022, Smith-Pelly announced his retirement from professional hockey.
International play
Smith-Pelly debuted with
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...
at the
2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge was an international ice hockey tournament held in Campbell River, Courtenay, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, and Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada between December 29, 2008 and January 4, 2009. The ven ...
. He recorded three assists over six games playing with Team Ontario, helping them to a gold medal win.
During his NHL rookie season, the Anaheim Ducks loaned Smith-Pelly to the
Canadian junior team for the
2012 World Junior Championships. One of two players to be loaned from the NHL (
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
forward
Brett Connolly
Brett Connolly (born May 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for HC Lugano of the National League (NL). During his major junior career with the Prince George Cougars, he was named Western Hockey League (WHL) and Canadian Hocke ...
was the other),
[ he was named an ]alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the team. In Canada's first game of the tournament, against Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, he broke a bone in his left foot blocking a shot. Opting to stay with the team rather than return to Anaheim to begin his rehabilitation, Smith-Pelly watched as Canada went on to win the bronze medal and since he was part of the Canadian roster, he also received a medal.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith-Pelly, Devante
1992 births
Living people
Anaheim Ducks draft picks
Anaheim Ducks players
Black Canadian ice hockey players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in China
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
HC Kunlun Red Star players
Hershey Bears players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Laval Rocket players
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors players
Montreal Canadiens players
New Jersey Devils players
Norfolk Admirals players
Ontario Reign (AHL) players
Sportspeople from Scarborough, Toronto
Stanley Cup champions
Syracuse Crunch players
Washington Capitals players