Dave Smith is in his fifth season as head coach of the Canisius College hockey program and 12th season as a coach at the Division I level.
During the 2008-09 season, Smith led the Griffs to a number of firsts, which garnered national attention. Canisius swept a pair of games against eventual NCAA quarterfinalist and 15th-ranked Air Force, marking the first victories for the Griffs against a nationally-ranked opponent. Canisius also earned its first wins against a CCHA and ECAC school during the season.
On an individual level, Dave Kostuch led all freshmen nationally in goals per game, earning Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year accolades. Kostuch was also recognized as the National Rookie of the Month in October. In addition, Carl Hudson and Jason Weeks were honored with All-Atlantic Hockey accolades, becoming the first Canisius skaters to earn all-conference honors in 10 seasons.
The achievements under Smith is not limited to just the 2008-09 campaign. In his first four seasons leading the Golden Griffin program, he has guided numerous student-athletes to success both on and off the ice. The Griffs have collected athletic honors and academic honors as well as enjoying successful careers after graduation. The highlights include:
• Seven Griffs have signed professional contracts after playing under Smith at Canisius.
• Smith has mentored a total of seven student-athletes that have been honored at the Atlantic Hockey postseason banquet. David Kasch was named the league’s Best Defensive Forward following the 2007-08 season to go along with Kostuch’s Rookie of the Year award.
• Smith has also excelled on the recruiting front during his tenure at Canisius, capped by Kostuch’s performance last season. His first full recruiting class earned 12 league honors during the 2006-07 season, including 10 Rookie of the Week honors, which were the most of any Division I school in the country, while Smith’s second recruiting class included the top two scoring freshmen in Atlantic Hockey. At least one player in each of Smith’s four years has been named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team.
• The Griffs have set or tied 17 school records under Smith’s leadership, including seven during the 2008-09 season. During the 2007-08 campaign, Andrew Loewen recorded a 201-minute shutout streak, the 10th-longest run in NCAA history.
• In his four seasons, 57 Griffs have earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic accolades, including a school-record 18 following the 2008-09 campaign. In addition, Max Buetow was named the Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete in 2005-06 for owning the top GPA in the league and Loewen has twice been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team.
Smith became the program’s third head coach on April 15, 2005 after serving the previous three seasons as the associate coach and recruiting coordinator at fellow Atlantic Hockey member Mercyhurst College. Smith also spent time as an assistant coach with Bowling Green and Miami. During his tenure as an assistant coach, Smith coached or recruited:
• Two Hobey Baker Award Finalists
• Four Players of the Year
• Two Rookies of the Year
• 16 all-league award winners
• Three Terry Flanagan Award Winners for Perseverance
The Arthur, Ontario, native was also instrumental in guiding Mercyhurst to two league championships and two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances in his three seasons with the Lakers.
Smith graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations and was a four-year letterwinner for the Buckeyes. Smith finished his career at Ohio State with 140 points, ranking 14th all-time. He was selected as team captain as a junior and chosen as the team’s MVP as a senior, while leading the Buckeyes with 41 assists and 63 points.
After graduating from Ohio State, Smith spent six seasons in professional hockey, including five full seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL) and a brief period in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He was under contract with the New York Rangers in 1994-95. Smith has spent his summers coaching young players and adults as a director and head instructor at numerous camps across the United States and Canada.
Smith and his wife, Susan, have two daughters, Ellis and Kylie. Susan is currently pursuing her PhD in philosophy at the University at Buffalo. She is the Samuel P. Capen research assistant in the philosophy department.
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Courtesy: Tom Wolf Imaging
