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Toronto Maple Leafs sign big 20-year-old free agent defenceman

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Apr 10 2025, 6:26 pm
Toronto Maple Leafs sign big 20-year-old free agent defenceman
Flint FIrebirds

The Toronto Maple Leafs are adding a bit of size to their blue line depth.

The team announced today that they signed 20-year-old undrafted free agent Blake Smith to a three-year entry-level deal.

Smith, who played for both the Oshawa Generals and Flint Firebirds in his OHL career, is a 6-foot-5 defender who weighs in at 225 pounds.

Smith put up 10 goals and 22 assists in 64 games for the firebirds as an overage player this past season. Playing in all situations for the Firebirds, Smith was listed as a first-pairing player for the team throughout the playoffs.

An Oshawa native, the deal offers Smith a chance to continue his hockey career in his home province.

The Firebirds were eliminated by the Kitchener Rangers in five games from the first round of the OHL playoffs, making Smith then eligible to solicit professional offers.

The deal kicks in for next season, meaning he’ll likely come to training camp and compete for a spot on the opening day roster, but more likely be sent to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. He’ll likely make an appearance at Leafs development camp this summer following the NHL Draft, before showing up at the team’s prospect camps and main training camp coming this fall.

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