April 2, 2007
E-MAIL 
UNH's Smith the Next to Go
CHN Staff Report
DURHAM, N.H. — New Hampshire sophomore center Trevor Smith became the latest player to jump ship for the pros, signing a deal with the New York Islanders. Smith was an undrafted free agent who drew a lot of interest over the past two years.
Smith forgoes his final two years of college eligibility. He played his professional game this weekend for the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of North Vancouver led the Wildcats in scoring this season with 21 goals and 43 points in 39 games. He had 10-10—20 as a freshman.
Smith, who recently told reporters that he expected to return next season, said the deal with the Islanders developed quickly.
"We talked to them and then sat down as a family with our advisor and went over it," he told the New Hampshire Union Leader. "It's every kid's dream to play professional hockey and the opportunity was there for me. We looked at the organization and talked to [Isles GM] Garth Snow. I felt after talking to him it was a great fit for me."
According to the paper, former BU star Chris O'Sullivan, an Islander scout, picked Smith up in Durham at 2 p.m. on Saturday and drove him to Long Island, where he watched the Islanders play the Ottawa Senators. Then he was driven up to Bridgeport for his first pro game.
"It was a tough decision," Smith told the paper. "UNH was a great place. It was an awesome time, an awesome group of guys, not to mention the campus. It's a great atmosphere and they put on a pretty good show and it's lots of fun. I spent my two years, now I'm just moving on."
