Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (March 9, 2026) – Brampton, Ontario, a city of over 600,000, is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and home to Oilers rookie defenceman, Gabe Smith.
The city that sits outside of “The Six” (Toronto) has hosted the 2023 IIHF Women’s Championship, the home of the legendary two-time Olympic Women’s Hockey gold medalist Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Superbad actor Michael Cera, iconic Canadian commentator Chris Cuthbert (who is known for his “Golden Goal” call on Sidney Crosby’s overtime winner during the 2010 Winter Olympics), New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe, Stanley Cup winner Tyler Seguin, and former Calgary Flame Sean Monahan.
“Yeah, it’s just a suburb outside of Toronto. I went to school in Mississauga, played for Toronto teams my whole life, but it’s just like a regular old suburb outside of Toronto. ” A good amount of fun things to do, like golf and stuff like that,” Smith said about Brampton.
Being in proximity to Toronto, Smith would take advantage of all the activities the capital of Ontario supplied, as it’s hard to get bored with something always going on in the city.
“Yeah, there’s always something to do, no matter what day it is, you can go to Wonderland, go golfing with the boys, go go-kart racing, anything you want, concerts, there’s always something every day,” he added.
Smith would get the opportunity to play for the U16 Toronto Marlboros during the 2022-2023 season, the same team that has helped produce former Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, Calgary Flames defenceman Kevin Bahl, Anaheim Ducks rookie standout Beckett Sennecke, Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston, Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid, and many more.
“It was great development-wise, it’s as good as it can get at that age, being 15, 14, and you’re on the ice every day, every day workouts and stuff, and even training camp. At training camp, we went up to Muskoka for a couple of weeks. Stayed in resorts there, and then we’d skate every day, work out as a team, and it’s just good development. Now it’s run by (Sam) Gagne and Tavares, too, so it’s like, Oh, nice. Yeah, it’s pretty good development up there,” Smith explained about his development with the Marlboros.
After spending a season with the Marlboros, Smith would move on to play for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, appearing in 11 games during the 2023-2024 season and then becoming a mainstay on the Attack’s backend as he suited up for 64 games during the 2024-2025 season. During his time with Owen Sound, Smith would play with Team Canada’s goalie from the past two World Junior Championships, Carter George.
“Yeah, Carter George, great guy, played with him my first and second year. Honestly, he acts like he’s a rookie kind of. He’s very humble and doesn’t think he’s above anyone, even though he’s probably like the best goalie in the world for our age. A really humble guy, good guy to learn from too, just no matter what position you are, just his habits every day, how he works hard, and everything,” he said about George.
Smith added that the team always felt calm when George was in net, as if anyone got burned, he was there to make the stop. He would also explain that George would give his team a chance every night, which would make Smith and the Attack’s job easier.
Last season, Smith and the Attack would end up playing the eventual Memorial Cup Champions, the London Knights, in the first round of the playoffs. The Knights have a rich hockey history full of championships, and Smith had the opportunity to attempt to stop the OHL powerhouse.
“It was good, I mean, they’re a pretty sick team. They have a lot of NHL draft picks and stuff, so it was good to play against guys at that level and talent level. Pretty cool experience, especially, I remember game one starting, the ‘Oh, Canada’, the whole arena is packed, 12,000/13,000 people. It’s pretty cool, just looking up, seeing all the people around and everything, it was a good experience,” Smith said.
None of Smith’s hockey career would be possible without his parents, Oral and Sharo,n who he gave a ton of credit for getting him to where he is today.
“I mean, my parents are everything. They always believed in me, no matter what, like deciding when I was, like, 14, 15, between basketball or hockey. I mean, I was pretty good at both. Like basketball, I was still on Team Ontario, and then I decided hockey, and they were pretty supportive of it, too, through everything, going to the OHL or whatever, getting ranked for the NHL draft, they’re always there no matter what it was,” he said about his parents.
Smith explained that they made the trip to Alberta when he first arrived in Blackfalds, and mentioned that his parents enjoyed the province. As for his experience in “Wild Rose Country” and the Okotoks area, Smith has enjoyed the scenery and the people in the town. He added that this is his first time in Alberta.
“All the people are great, nice people. Just the camaraderie of the guys, too. It’s a great group of guys and a good place to be,” Smith said. “There’s not many mountains where I’m from, so it’s nice to see the scenery and everything around here.”
Before joining the Green and Gold, Smith would suit up for the Blackfalds Bulldogs while facing the Oilers earlier in the season. Smith would serve a suspension for a hit on former Okotoks Oiler Michael Mikan, but explained he was quickly welcomed into the locker room after getting some jokes tossed his way for the hit after joining the squad, which he said helped integrate him with his new teammates.
“I was kind of hated by the Oilers, and then joining the team, yeah, it was just like joining any other team pretty much. They were great, really welcoming. A week before, I had got suspended against Okotoks from a hit from behind on Mikey, so then when I came in, they were joking about it and stuff, but, yeah, it was great,” he said about joining the Oilers.
Smith explained that he has had a bit of a culture shock coming from Ontario to Alberta, and one example is that you can’t find bagged milk in Western Canada.
“Yeah, the culture’s a lot different, especially with all my friends, my boys back home, and my family, it’s a lot different. Everyone in my family is Jamaican, so the culture’s a lot different here. When I came here, I’d never had carton milk, which was kind of weird to me when I came here,” Smith added.
As for his transition from the OHL to the BCHL, Smith mentioned it was good and that in the BCHL, he’s playing against more mature athletes due to the overage rule.
“I mean, the OHL was obviously pretty good hockey, and it was a good playing there, and a good opportunity,” he said. “The transition wasn’t too hard or anything to the BCHL. BCHL’s good hockey, too. It’s an older league with eight overagers on each team, so it makes it a little hard. I’d say it’s a pretty underrated league. It’s a good league. Guys are skilled players all around, and there’s no really bad teams. Every team’s pretty good. Every team’s pretty even, and it’s a good experience. ”
Another difference in coming to the BCHL is the number of international players who have made their trip to Western Canada to play in the Junior A league, some of whom Smith has played against growing up, as he and his team would visit American teams for tournaments.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of Americans, it’s good to get to know guys from different places around, and there’s a good amount of ’07s on the team, so I’ve played against a good amount of them throughout tournaments. So, yeah, it’s good to get to meet guys who I played against before, too,” Smith explained. “Gino (Joey Gugino), he was on the Shattuck-St. Mary’s team, and I remember when we were on the Marlies, we’d play against them and see him with (Marko) Lisica on Long Island Gulls. Yeah, it was pretty fun.”
Smith explained that the road trips in the BCHL are longer than the ones he was used to in previous seasons, but he has taken advantage by playing cards or Imposter with the group of guys, or he will just take a snooze on the bus to kill the time.
As for his start in the sport, Smith would give credit to his older brother Nathaniel for piquing his interest in the game played on ice.
“He was a really big role model for me. Growing up, pretty much anything he did, I wanted to do. It was the reason why I started playing hockey, too, when I saw him play. He’s a pretty good role model,” he said about his brother Nathaniel.
He added that his brother Nathaniel plans on visiting Banff and will visit the Okotoks area to see where Smith has made his home this season.
When it comes to why Smith chose hockey as the sport he wanted to pursue over basketball, which he explained earlier that he excelled at, was the love of the game of hockey, as well as having an itch to play on the ice every day. He also added that the friendships he made along the way also played into his choice of hockey as his main sport.
“I started with the Brampton 45s, and it was a good group there. I’m still friends with a good amount of guys that I played with, and being friends with everyone. Then showing up to practice and everything, I just kind of loved the l sport. Kept playing ever since,” Smith said.
Smith didn’t start as a defenceman and didn’t make the switch until he was about 15. He’s explained that he doesn’t really know why he made the switch, but added he enjoys playing “D” as he takes pride in keeping the puck out of his team’s net and enjoys the position as a whole.
Playing defence, Smith has heard his fair share of chirps as opposing players usually vent their frustration at the position when the defenders shut down the forwards. Smith explained that his brother helped prepare him for the chirps, as the Green Army can see Smith at home games, giving a smirk to players trying to get in his head.
“Yeah, I think it’s more of a thing from my family, just kind of bantering with my brother when I was younger and the chirps and stuff. Just natural now, just learning that from him,” he mentioned.
Smith would also explain that he is proud of his Jamaican heritage, adding that Jamaica has a good culture, food, and people. He would also say that Toronto embraces the Jamaican culture, which he has always appreciated.
As for the culture in the Okotoks Oilers Organization, Smith praised the teammates he has played with this season, explaining that the team is tight-knit and gets along with everyone. Oilers Head Coach and GM, Tyler Deis, has always made a point of bringing in not only good players, but good people, which Smith agreed with.
“Yeah, absolutely great people. Even from the second you meet them, you could tell they’re just super welcoming and everything, and it’s pretty great,” Smith said about the Oilers coaching staff. “It’s great to learn from Corban (Knight); he has a lot of experience, and Deis, too, is a great coach. He really means well for the players. Reido (Reid Hnatowich) is good to have, too. He’s always positive and stuff. It’s good to learn from those guys. They’re experiencing and their mindset.”
As for the Green Army, Smith has enjoyed getting the opportunity to play in front of the Okotoks faithful this season.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool seeing the fans. You want to play for them more every night when they’re still supporting us, even when we have rough nights or good nights, no matter what it is, they come support. So, it’s good seeing the support we have, and it just makes you want to play harder for them,” Smith said.
Smith was even introduced to a young fan who was excited to let Smith know he was his favourite Oiler. Smith explained how honoured he was to hear that and brought him back to when he was a kid looking up to older players.
“Yeah, it was cool to meet the kid, and it was a neat experience meeting him. We (The Oilers) had a rough night there, but hopefully, made his night, at least,” he added. “It was a cool experience seeing that. I remember when I was younger, going to Leafs games, Marlies games, Steelheads games, and meeting older players and stuff, and getting their hockey cards was pretty cool when I was younger.”
10 Questions with Gabe Smith:
What is your go-to cheat meal?
“Any kind of Jamaican store in Toronto, Messi Shwarma is a place nearby that’s pretty good. Here, probably Freddy’s, a California-style burger.”
What is your favourite sport other than hockey?
“Basketball. The Toronto Raptors are my favourite team.”
What is your favourite movie and TV show?
“Favourite movie? How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days it’s a pretty good movie. Show, Stranger Things.”
Favourite player and team growing up?
“My favourite team was the Leafs. There are a lot of players I liked that played for the Leafs at certain points, like Phil Kessel.”
What is your guilty pleasure song?
“Style by Taylor Swift or Close to Me by Ellie Goulding.”
Who was your celebrity crush growing up?
“Zara Larsson.”
If you could relive any day in your life, what day would you choose?
“Probably, the championship when I was on the Marlies in my OHL draft year. Went to the finals in the GTHL Championships, and we beat the junior Canadians.”
Would you rather travel to the past for the future?
“Probably in the future, maybe like 10 years.”
If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be?
“Maybe Michael Jordan. Just, like, mindset, everything, just pick things from his brain.”
Where in the world would you go if I could snap my fingers and get you there right now?
“Probably Italy. For the food and for the Olympics.”
Bonus:
Who has the worst stick tape job on the team?
“Gugino’s. He’ll use white tape and scramble all over it. Sometimes he’ll switch to black tape. He can’t really make up his own mind.”
Do you prefer using black or white hockey tape?
“I’d say black tape.”
Who would be your emergency contact on the team?
“I’d say probably (Jordan) Murray, he’s pretty responsible. Not Pajor or Andy (Ethan Anderson).”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten from your parents?
“My dad once said, some things with learning experiences are just small setbacks that create a comeback. Whenever there’s a little setback or a learning stone, just use it as a time where you can learn from it and get better.”
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
