GOLDEN GRIFFIN ICE HOCKEY

CANISIUS (1-2-2, 0-1-1) AT AIC (0-4-0, 0-2-0)
Dave Smith
Head Coach • Fourth Season • The Ohio State University ‘92
Dave Smith is in his fourth season as head coach of the
Canisius College hockey program and 11th season as a
coach at the Division I Level.
In his first three seasons leading the Golden Griffin
program, Smith 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, including
Kyle Bushee and Bryce Luker following the 2007-08 season.
• Smith mentored David Kasch to Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward honors. Kasch was
the first Griff to earn a postseason individual award since the 1999-00 campaign. In addition,
one freshman in each of Smith’s first three seasons has been selected to the Atlantic Hockey
All-Rookie Team.
• Smith’s 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.
His second recruiting class earned three weekly honors and included the top two freshmen in
Atlantic Hockey in points per game.
• The Griffs have set or tied six school records under Smith’s leadership, including four during the
2007-08 season highlighted by Josh Heidinger, who matched the program record by scoring
in six-consecutive games, and Andrew Loewen, who set a Canisius mark with a 201-minute
shutout streak, the 10th-longest in NCAA history. Both players were honored as Atlantic
Hockey Player of the Month and Goaltender of the Month, respectively, for their achievements.
• In his three seasons, 39 Griffs have earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic accolades, including
15 following the 2007-08 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 four have been
named to the league’s Academic All-Star Team for having the highest GPA’s at their respective
positions.
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.
The Dave Smith File
Coaching Career
1998-2000 Miami University Assistant Coach
2000-2002 Bowling Green Assistant Coach
2002-2005 Mercyhurst Associate Coach
2005-present Canisius College Head Coach
Playing Career
1988-1992 The Ohio State University
1992-1993 Dayton Bombers (ECHL)/
Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)
1993-1994 Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)
1994-1995 Binghamton Rangers (AHL)
1995-1996 Detroit Vipers (IHL)/
Los Angeles Ice Dogs (IHL)
1996-1997 Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL)/
Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
1997-1998 Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
San Antonio Dragons (IHL)
Smith Year-by-Year
Overall
Atlantic Hockey
Year W L T Pct. W L T Pct.
2004-05 10 23 2 .314 8 18 2 .321
2006-07 9 23 3 .300 9 16 3 .375
2007-08 11 20 6 .378 10 13 5 .446
2008-09 1 2 2 .400 0 1 1 .250
Totals 31 68 13 .335 27 48 11 .378
Smith vs. 2008-09 Opp.
Team W-L-T Pct. Streak Last Mtg.
Air Force 2-4-2 .375 L-2 AF 4, CC 3
AIC 2-6-1 .278 L-4 AIC 4, CC 2
Army 4-3-1 .563 L-1 Army 2, CC 1
Bentley 2-5-1 .313 W-1 CC 4, BC 1
Clarkson
First Meeting
Connecticut 5-3-0 .625 W-1 CC 4, UC 0
Ferris State 1-1-0 .500 L-1 FSU 5, CC 2
Holy Cross 4-9-1 .321 L-1 HC 5, CC 4
Mercyhurst 3-8-4 .333 L-2 MC 2, CC 1
Merrimack 0-1-1 .250 T-1 CC 1, MC 1
Niagara 1-2-0 .333 W-1 CC 4, NU 3
RIT 4-6-0 .400 W-1 CC 5, RIT 4
Sacred Heart 2-9-1 .208 W-1 CC 4, SH 2
The 39-year-old 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.