Milwaukee, WI— Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the team has signed forward Cole Smith to a one-year, two-way contract.

Smith skated in eight NHL games for the Predators in 2021-22, dishing out 21 hits while averaging 8:50 of ice time. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward spent the majority of last season with the Milwaukee Admirals, where he appeared in 59 games and posted 41 points (21g-20a), the fourth-most on his team. It was a 31-point improvement from his rookie AHL campaign (2020-21), when he tallied five goals and five assists in 23 contests for the Chicago Wolves. Smith made his NHL debut with the Predators on the opening night of the 2020-21 season.

Undrafted, Smith owns 51 points (26g-25a) in 82 career AHL games with Milwaukee and Chicago; he’s also suited up in five career ECHL games with Florida. He signed as a free agent in March 2020 following a four-year career at the University of North Dakota, where he posted 51 points (24g-27a) in 137 games. In his final season with the Fighting Hawks, he contributed a career-high 18 points (11g-7a) en route to winning the NCHC’s regular-season title. The Brainerd, Minn., native earned multiple team awards while at North Dakota, including the Cliff “Fido” Purpur Award in 2018-19, given to the Fighting Hawks player who exemplifies hard work and determination, and the Most Improved Player Award following his sophomore season.

The Admirals will open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, October 22nd at 6 pm at Panther Arena. The opponent, and the rest of the 2022-23 schedule, will be released later this month.