Oshawa to Flint and a re-union
Jalen Smereck just got closer to home after being acquired by the Flint Firebirds from the Oshawa Generals in an Ontario Hockey League trade finalized today.
A Detroit native, Smereck will be playing about 60 miles from home in 2016-2017 after Flint obtained him from Oshawa for a fourth-round pick in 2017, a second-round selection in 2018 and a fourth-round pick in 2019.
With the trade, the 6-foot, 185-pound defenseman with a 1997 birth date will be re-united with new Firebirds associate coach Eric Wellwood. Smereck played for Oshawa in 2015-2016 while Wellwood was an assistant coach with the Generals.
Flint general manager George Burnett touched on the acquisition of Smereck.
“He had a great relationship with Eric Wellwood in Oshawa and will be expected to be a key member of our blueline group contributing in all situations,” Burnett said of Smereck. “Last season, Jalen’s game made significant improvements which earned him the opportunity and responsibility of playing against the opposition’s best players regularly.”
Smereck netted 5 goals, 20 assists, 25 points in 63 regular-season games with Oshawa in ’15-16 and then picked up 5 assists in 5 playoff outings.
Having coached him in Oshawa, Wellwood knows what Flint is getting in Smereck.
“Jalen is a highly-skilled, competitive defenseman that can play top pairing minutes in this league,” said Wellwood. “Having had the chance to coach him last season, he was noticeably our best defenseman on the ice many nights.”
Smereck, who played in the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League prior to moving to the OHL, is looking forward to suiting up in Flint.
“One of the biggest positives of me coming to Flint is the relationship that I built with Coach Wellwood last season,” said Smereck. “He taught me a lot last year and it’s great to have the chance to work with him again.”