Reilly Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reilly Smith
Smith with the Golden Knights in 2018
Born	(1991-04-01) April 1, 1991 (age 34) Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Vegas Golden Knights Dallas Stars Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers
NHL Draft	69th overall, 2009 Dallas Stars
Playing career	2011–present

Reilly Smith (born April 1, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a right winger for the Vegas Golden Knights in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Smith grew up in Toronto, Canada. He played junior hockey and then college hockey before joining the NHL. He was picked by the Dallas Stars in the 2009 NHL draft. Reilly has played for several teams, including the Stars, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Rangers. He won the amazing Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He even scored the winning goal in the final game! Reilly returned to play for the Golden Knights in 2025.

Reilly comes from a family of athletes. His older brother, Brendan Smith, also plays ice hockey for the Dallas Stars. His other brother, Rory Smith, is a professional lacrosse player.

Early Life and Family

Reilly Smith was born on April 1, 1991, in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. His parents are Lester and Deirdre Smith. As mentioned, Reilly's family is very sporty. His older brother Brendan plays in the NHL, and his brother Rory plays professional lacrosse. All three brothers played minor hockey in their hometown of Mimico. They also played for the St. Michael's Buzzers junior team.

Playing Career

Amateur Hockey Years

Smith (left) playing for the Miami RedHawks in February 2011

When Reilly was younger, he played junior hockey for the Toronto Nationals and St. Michael's College School. While playing for St. Michael's, he was a captain or assistant captain. In his last season there, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He scored 75 points that year.

Before starting college, Reilly won a bronze medal at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge. In 2009, the Dallas Stars picked him in the third round of the NHL draft. He was the 69th player chosen overall.

After being drafted, Reilly started playing college hockey for the Miami University's RedHawks. He was studying sport studies. He found college hockey very fast, but he still scored 20 points in 43 games in his first year. He was even invited to try out for Canada's National Junior Team.

In his second year with the RedHawks, Reilly had a fantastic season. He scored 54 points in 38 games. He was one of the best young players in the country for goals and points. Because of his great performance, he received many awards. These included being named to the All-Florida College Classic Team and the CCHA All-Tournament Team.

Reilly continued his success in his third year. He scored a career-high 30 goals in 39 games. He was even a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the best college hockey player.

Professional Hockey Journey

Dallas Stars (2011–2013)

On March 25, 2012, Reilly decided to leave college early to sign a three-year contract with the Dallas Stars. He played his first NHL game on March 28, 2012. He played for about four minutes in that game. He played two more games with the Stars that season.

After training camp in 2012, Reilly was sent to the Texas Stars, their minor league team. He played 11 games there before being called back up to Dallas in January 2013. He scored his first NHL goal on February 15, 2013. A few days later, he scored his second goal. Because he was playing well, he moved up to a higher line on the team. He played 28 games for Dallas, scoring six points, before being sent back to the minor league for a short time.

Boston Bruins (2013–2015)

In July 2013, Reilly was part of a big trade between the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins. He, along with Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, and Matt Fraser, went to Boston. In return, Dallas received Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and Ryan Button.

During the pre-season, Reilly started on the Bruins' third line. But due to injuries to other players, he moved up to play with star players like Patrice Bergeron. He had a great first season with the Bruins, scoring 19 goals and 30 assists. He was even named the "7th Player" by the team's fans. This award goes to the player who exceeded expectations the most.

The next year, Reilly scored 13 goals and 27 assists. He also added four goals and one assist in 12 playoff games.

Florida Panthers (2015–2017)

On July 1, 2015, Reilly was traded again. This time, he went from the Bruins to the Florida Panthers. In his first season with the Panthers, he set a new personal record with 50 points in 82 games. He was also tied for third on the team in goals.

On July 3, 2016, Reilly signed a new five-year contract with the Panthers. However, he later said he had a "disappointing year" in the 2016–17 season. He scored 15 goals and 22 assists that year.

Vegas Golden Knights (2017–2023)

On June 21, 2017, Reilly was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. This happened during the 2017 NHL expansion draft. The Panthers traded him because of salary cap issues. His teammate Jonathan Marchessault also joined the Golden Knights.

Reilly started the 2017–18 season playing on a line with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. This line quickly became one of the team's best. By November, all three players were scoring a lot of points. In February, Reilly was named an NHL Third Star of the Month. He scored 20 points in 14 games that month. Reilly ended the regular season with a career-high 60 points. The Golden Knights made it all the way to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals that year. Reilly scored five goals and 17 assists during their playoff run.

After his best season, Reilly continued to play well. He had his second-best season, scoring over 50 points again. He tied Marchessault for the team lead in assists with 34. On October 11, 2018, he scored his 100th career NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Later that season, he played in his 500th career NHL game. The Knights made the playoffs again, and Reilly scored one goal and five assists.

When the 2019–20 season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reilly had scored a career-high 27 goals in 71 games. In the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, he tied with Mark Stone for the team lead in points.

After Mark Stone became the team captain, Reilly was named an alternate captain. On May 9, 2021, Reilly scored his first professional hat-trick in a game against the St. Louis Blues.

On July 13, 2022, Reilly signed a new three-year contract to stay with the Golden Knights. By the 2022–23 season, Reilly was one of only six original Golden Knights players still on the team. The team reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time. They won the Stanley Cup by beating the Florida Panthers in five games. Reilly and four other original Golden Knights players started the final game.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2023–2024)

On June 28, 2023, Reilly was traded by the Golden Knights to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This trade helped the Golden Knights keep another player. In his first game with the Penguins, Reilly and Bryan Rust scored two very quick goals at the start of the third period.

New York Rangers (2024–2025)

On July 1, 2024, Reilly was traded again. This time, he went from the Penguins to the New York Rangers.

Return to Vegas (2025–present)

On March 6, 2025, Reilly was traded back to the Vegas Golden Knights by the Rangers. After that season, he signed another one-year contract to stay with Vegas.

Career Statistics

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada East
World Junior A Challenge
Bronze	2008 Camrose

Awards and Honours