D. J. Smith

Denis Joseph Smith (born May 13, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is an associate coach for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators for five seasons from 2019 to 2023 as well as interim head coach for the Los Angeles Kings in 2026. As a player, Smith played 45 NHL games with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. As a coach, Smith won the Memorial Cup in 2015 and spent four years as an assistant with the Maple Leafs before joining Ottawa.

Playing career Junior hockey As a youth, Smith played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Windsor, Ontario.

Windsor Spitfires (1994–1997) Smith was drafted by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the second round, 20th overall, in the 1994 OHL Draft Priority. Smith appeared in 61 games with the Spitfires during his rookie season in 1994–95, scoring four goals and 17 points, while accumulating 201 penalty minutes, the second most on the club. In 10 playoff games, Smith scored a goal and four points, as the Spitfires defeated the Sarnia Sting in the first round of the playoffs, before falling to the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL quarter-finals.

Smith saw a big increase in his offensive production during his second season with the Spitfires in 1995–96. In 64 games, Smith scored 14 goals and 59 points, tying him for fourth in team scoring. Smith led the team with 260 penalty minutes. In seven playoff games, Smith scored one goal and eight points, as the Spitfires lost to the Detroit Whalers in the first round of the post-season.

The Spitfires named Smith the captain of the team for the 1996–97. In 63 games, Smith led the defence in scoring, as he had 15 goals and 67 points, as he finished fifth in overall team scoring. In the post-season, Smith scored a goal and eight points in five games, as Windsor lost to the Sarnia Sting in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

Professional career

New York Islanders (1995–1996) Smith was drafted by the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League in the second round, 41st overall, at the 1995 NHL entry draft. Smith's stay with the Islanders did not last long, as on March 15, 1996, Smith was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade that included Wendel Clark and Mathieu Schneider going to Toronto, while the Islanders received Darby Hendrickson, Sean Haggerty, Kenny Jonsson, and Toronto's first-round draft pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft, in which the Islanders would select Roberto Luongo.

Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–2002) Smith appeared in one game with the St. John's Maple Leafs, Toronto's American Hockey League affiliate, following the conclusion to Smith's junior hockey season with the Windsor Spitfires. Smith had no points in his lone appearance during the 1995–96 season.

Smith joined the Toronto Maple Leafs after his junior season in Windsor in 1996–97. On March 26, 1997, Smith played in his first NHL game, earning an assist on a goal scored by Brandon Convery, as the Maple Leafs defeated the San Jose Sharks 2–1. On March 29, Smith had his first career NHL fight, against Rene Corbet of the Colorado Avalanche. Overall, in eight games with Toronto, Smith had one assist and seven penalty minutes. Following the Leafs season, Smith was assigned to the St. John's Maple Leafs, wherein in one post-season game, he had no points.

Smith was assigned to St. John's for the 1997–98 season. In 65 games with St. John's, Smith scored four goals and 15 points, while earning 237 penalty minutes, ranking him third on the team. In four post-season games, Smith had no points, as the Maple Leafs lost to the Saint John Flames in the Atlantic Division semi-finals.

In 1998–99, Smith saw his offensive production increase in St. John's, as he scored seven goals and 35 points in 79 games, as he was the highest-scoring defenceman on the team. Smith's 216 penalty minutes ranked second on the club. In the post-season, Smith earned an assist in five games, as St. John's lost to the Fredericton Canadiens in the Atlantic Division semi-finals.

Smith returned to St. John's for the 1999–2000 season, as in 74 games, he scored six goals and 28 points while ranking second on the team with 197 penalty minutes. As St. John's failed to qualify for the post-season, Smith earned a promotion to Toronto late in the 1999–2000 NHL season. In three games with Toronto, Smith had no points in three games.

Smith spent the entire 2000–01 season with St. John's. Injuries limited Smith to 59 games, where he scored seven goals and 19 points. In the post-season, Smith had no points in four games, as St. John's lost to the Quebec Citadelles in the Canadian Division semi-finals.

In 2001–02, Smith began the season with St. John's. In 59 games with the Maple Leafs in the AHL, Smith scored six goals and 16 points.

On March 1, 2002, Smith was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in a three-way trade that saw Marc Moro traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a ninth-round draft pick acquired by the Nashville Predators.

Colorado Avalanche (2002–2004) Smith joined the Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, for the rest of the 2001–02, following his trade by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 14 games with the Bears, Smith earned three assists. In the post-season, Smith appeared in eight games, scoring one goal, his first career AHL playoff goal, as the Bears defeated the Norfolk Admirals in the Western Conference quarter-finals, before losing to the Houston Aeros in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Smith spent the majority of the 2002–03 season with the Colorado Avalanche. On October 17, 2002, Smith played in his first game with the Avalanche, as he had no points, and a fight with Ian Laperrière, in a 4–1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. On January 23, 2003, Smith scored his first career NHL goal, as he scored against Marc Denis of the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5–0 victory. This point was Smith's first in the NHL since March 26, 1997. Overall, in 34 games with Colorado, Smith scored one goal and accumulated 55 penalty minutes. In the AHL, Smith played in two games with the Hershey Bears, earning no points.

Smith was re-assigned to the Hershey Bears for the 2003–04 season. In 35 games with Hershey, Smith scored seven goals and 14 points. On January 14, 2004, Smith suffered a knee injury in a game against the Norfolk Admirals, causing Smith to miss the remainder of the season. Smith announced his retirement as a player on June 14, 2005.

Coaching career

Windsor Spitfires (2005–2012) Smith joined the Windsor Spitfires as an assistant coach, working under newly hired head coach Moe Mantha.

The Generals were the top team in the Eastern Conference in 2014–15, as the club earned a 51–11–6 record, earning 108 points, which was an improvement of 18 points over the previous season. In the post-season, the Generals defeated the Peterborough Petes in five games in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals, followed by defeating the Niagara IceDogs in five games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Generals had a re-match against the North Bay Battalion, as Oshawa got their revenge, as they defeated the Battalion in six games. In the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals against the Erie Otters, led by Connor McDavid, the Generals won the series in five games to clinch the OHL championship and a berth into the 2015 Memorial Cup. At the tournament, the Generals finished with a perfect record and defeated the Kelowna Rockets 2–1 in overtime in the final game to win the Memorial Cup.

Following the 2014–15 season, Smith resigned as head coach of the Generals, as he took a job to become an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2015–2019) Smith joined the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as an assistant coach to newly hired head coach Mike Babcock. In his first season with the Leafs in 2015–16, Toronto struggled to a 29–42–11 record, earning 69 points, and finishing in last place in the NHL.

The rebuilding Leafs saw improvement during the 2016–17 season, as Toronto finished with a 40–27–15 record, earning 95 points, and the second wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference. In the post-season, the Maple Leafs lost to the Washington Capitals in six games.

Toronto continued to improve during Smith's third season with the team in 2017–18, as the Maple Leafs had a 49–26–7 record, earning 105 points, and third place in the Atlantic Division. In the first round of the post-season, the Leafs lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.

The Leafs saw a slight decline in the 2018–19 season, as the club finished with a 46–28–8 record, earning 100 points, five fewer than the previous season, however, Toronto once again finished in third place in the Atlantic Division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Leafs had a re-match against the Boston Bruins and once again lost in seven games to the Bruins.

Following the season, Smith resigned from his job with the Leafs and took the job to become the head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa Senators (2019–2023) On May 23, 2019, the Ottawa Senators announced that Smith agreed to a three-year contract to be the team's head coach. On July 28, 2021, the Senators signed Smith to a two-year contract extension, running through the 2023–24 season, with a club option for 2024–25. After an 11–15–0 start to his fifth season as head coach, the Senators fired Smith on December 18, 2023.

Los Angeles Kings (2024–2026) On February 6, 2024, the Los Angeles Kings hired Smith as an assistant coach on Jim Hiller's staff. On March 1, 2026, Hiller was fired, with Smith being named interim head coach of the Kings. Smith finished the season 11–6–6, with the Kings qualifying for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs as a wild card; they were subsequently swept by the Colorado Avalanche. Following the season, Smith was replaced as head coach by Peter Laviolette. He joined the Edmonton Oilers' coaching staff as Associated Coach on June 23, 2026. He is joining Mike Babcock who was hired on the same day as the Oilers' head coach for the coming season.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1994–95 Windsor Spitfires OHL 61 4 13 17 201 10 1 3 4 41 1995–96 Windsor Spitfires OHL 64 14 45 59 260 7 1 7 8 23 1995–96 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1996–97 Windsor Spitfires OHL 63 15 52 67 190 5 1 7 8 11 1996–97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 8 0 1 1 7 — — — — — 1996–97 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0 1997–98 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 65 4 11 15 237 4 0 0 0 4 1998–99 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 79 7 28 35 216 5 0 1 1 0 1999–00 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 74 6 22 28 197 — — — — — 1999–00 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 0 0 0 5 — — — — — 2000–01 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 59 7 12 19 106 4 0 0 0 11 2001–02 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 59 6 10 16 152 — — — — — 2001–02 Hershey Bears AHL 14 0 3 3 33 8 1 0 1 33 2002–03 Hershey Bears AHL 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2002–03 Colorado Avalanche NHL 34 1 0 1 55 — — — — — 2003–04 Hershey Bears AHL 35 7 7 14 71 — — — — —NHL totals 45 1 1 2 67 — — — — —

Head coaching record

NHL Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish W L Win% Result OTT 2019–20 71 25 34 12 62 7th in Atlantic — — — Missed playoffs OTT 2020–21 56 23 28 5 51 6th in North — — — Missed playoffs OTT 2021–22 82 33 42 7 73 7th in Atlantic — — — Missed playoffs OTT 2022–23 82 39 35 8 86 6th in Atlantic — — — Missed playoffs OTT 2023–24 26 11 15 0 (22) (fired) — — — —OTT total 317 131 154 32 LAK 2025–26 23 11 6 6 (28) 4th in Pacific 0 4 Lost in first round (COL)LAK total 23 11 6 6 0 4 1 playoff appearanceTotal 340 142 160 38 0 4 1 playoff appearance

OHL Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish Result OSH 2012–13 68 42 22 4 88 2nd in East Lost in Second Round OSH 2013–14 68 42 20 6 90 1st in East Lost in Third Round OSH 2014–15 68 51 11 6 108 1st in East Won Memorial CupTotal 204 135 53 16 286