Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith has announced his commitment to the University of Minnesota for the 2026-27 season, he announced via his Instagram page. “I’m excited to announce my commitment to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers for the 2026–27 season,” Smith stated in his announcement. “I want to thank everyone in Everett—my teammates, coaches, staff, and fans—for four incredible seasons and for helping me grow both on and off the ice. I’m grateful for everything along the way and can’t wait to get started on this next chapter.” The former third-round pick has spent the last three seasons with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, where he served as the captain during the 2025-26 season. During his time in Everett, Smith has begun to round out his game, seeing a steady increase in production from the back-end. He finished the 2025 season with 16 goals and 71 points in 65 games. Everett, who is set to face the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 1 of the WHL Championship this Friday, has been without the services of their captain for the last two rounds of the playoffs. He has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Additional Notes:
- Out of the NHL this evening, Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Carrick remains out with a left arm injury, via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca. Carrick sustained the injury in a fight against New York Islanders forward Anders Lee back on March 31st. This morning, Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff said Carrick “could be a possibility’ for their game one matchup against Montreal, but Sabres fans will have to wait until game two to see if the 34-year-old center is ready to get back in the lineup. Carrick had five goals and six points in 13 games for the Sabres after coming over from the New York Rangers at the deadline.
- There was also some news out of Colorado today as goaltender Isak Posch has returned to the Colorado Eagles on loan from the Avalanche, per the AHL’s transaction log. This comes as no surprise, as Colorado and Minnesota will have three full days in between their game two and three matchups. Posch played 28 games for the Eagles this season, posting a 2.78 GAA and a .891 SV%. Game 3 in Minnesota is set for 8:00 p.m. CST on Saturday.