Belfast Giants Re-Sign Jordan Smotherman

The Belfast Giants, member of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) of the United Kingdom announced today that they have re-signed forward Jordan Smotherman for the coming 2019-20 season.

Giants’ head coach Adam Keefe said “Jordan is a player we had been tracking for a while and it was great to have him hit the ground running in 2018-19 to contribute to the Elite League and Challenge Cup success.”

In fact, the 6’3”, 225-pound Corvallis, Oregon native, signed with the Giants in January of this past season, having been playing for the Iserlohn Roosters of Germany’s DEL. He had made arrangements to arrive in Belfast already when he heard that the Giants’ roster was a man down due to injury. He immediately changed his flight, arriving the next day in time to play with the team against the Nottingham Panthers on February 3, 2019.

However, he is probably most appreciated by not only the team, but the fans, for his overtime, game-winning goal against the Guildford Flames on March 10, 2019 that secured the Challenge Cup for the team in teal.

Though born in America, Smotherman elected to travel the Major Junior route, playing for the Québec Remparts of the QMJHL from 2002-2006, helping the Remparts to win the Memorial Cup in 2006. Throughout his junior career he played in 225 regular season games with a 72-67-139 record. During his 52 playoffs games, he garnered a 14-11-25 record.

Drafted in the fourth round (116 overall) by the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) in 2005, Smotherman played his first professional year with the AHL Chicago Wolves in 2006-07 season. His second season with the organization he played two games with the Thrashers, scoring one goal and getting one assist, but spent the bulk of the 2007-08 season back in Chicago. The Wolves went on to win the Calder Cup Trophy in 2008. His next two seasons saw him continue at the AHL level, first with the Syracuse Crunch (2009-10) and then the Providence Bruins (2010-11).

Beginning with the 2011-12 season, Smotherman headed to Europe, playing first in Denmark with EfB Ishockey. While with them he was named to the Danish League All-Star Team, was Player of the Month in January, and topped the league with the most goals (31) and the most points (60).

In 2015, Mattias Persson of Elite Prospects said “Smotherman is an offensive winger with a good shot. Excels in front of the net on the powerplay. Also skates well, and is a hard worker.”

The 33-year-old winger continued his time in Europe playing for both Sweden’s Allsvenskan and SHL leagues as well as the Finnish Liiga before returning to the United States in 2016 to play for the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL, though during the 2016-17 season he was loaned to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) for five games, and then returned to the Allsvenskan league the middle of the season to play with MODO Hockey. He signed again in 2017 with the Manchester Monarchs for the 2017-18 season and served as an alternate captain that season, helping to take them to the Kelly Cup playoffs, where they unfortunately fell in the second round, the Division Finals, to the Adirondack Thunder.

“He is [a] big forward who will bring offence and work ethic to our 2019-20 team. I know our fans loved hearing about the lengths Jordan went to in order to be in Belfast for his debut and I know they will love watching him in teal again this season,” Coach Keefe said.

The Belfast Giants fans do indeed appreciate a hard-working player, but it was clear when he was willing to change his flight to help the team out that he believes in putting the team first and that resonates with all hockey fans.