Smith is ECHL Alumnus of the Month

Former Lexington Men O' War goaltender Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers is ECHL Alumnus of the Month for February.

The 38-year-old went 6-1-0 in eight appearances during the month with two shutouts, a 2.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of .934. He allowed two goals or less in five of his eight appearances and made at least 27 saves five times.

A native of Kingston, Ontario Smith appeared in 27 games with Lexington during the 2002-03 season posting a record of 11-10-4 with one shutout, a 2.55 goals-against average and a save percentage of .910.

Selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Smith has seen action in 618 career NHL games with Edmonton, Calgary, Arizona, Tampa Bay and Dallas with an overall record of 268-249-74 with 41 shutouts, a 2.70 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912.

There have been 686 players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including eight who have made their debut in 2020-21. The ECHL has had 491 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years. There have been 430 ECHL players who have played their first game in the last 16 seasons for an average of more than 26 per year.