Chilliwack Chiefs forward Jake Smith waited longer than he would have liked, but the New York native has finally found an NCAA hockey home.
Smith’s teammate, Justin Dixson, tweeted Wednesday morning that Smith has committed to the Michigan State Spartans.
Chiefs head coach Jason Tatarnic confirmed moments later.
Smith, who will graduate from junior A hockey whenever Chilliwack’s playoff run ends, will join the Spartans in the fall.
Michigan State plays in the Big 10 conference alongside Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State.
Smith joins a team that has skated to a 2-10-2 record in conference play and a 6-19-3 record overall.
Smith should immediately add scoring punch to their lineup.
The 20 year old has exploded offensively in his sophomore BCHL season, posting 32 goals and 58 points in 56 games. That’s more than double his production of last season, when he had eight goals and 25 points in 56 outings.
Smith, a native of Amherst, NY., is the 11th Chiefs player to net an NCAA scholarship.
Other commits are Jordan Kawaguchi (North Dakota), Kohen Olischefski (Denver), Connor McCarthy (Clarkson), Carver Watson (Michigan Tech), Mark Sinclair (Alabama-Huntsville), Kale Kane (American International College), Will Calverley (Rochester Institute of Technology), Colin Bernard (Sacred Heart) and Nolan Zweep (Western New England).