McAllister: Smith leaves for school wearing a red championship hockey hat
Former Tri-City Giants Tanner Smith (Ripley, Ont.) heads to Bryant and Stratton College in Akron, Ohio after guiding Huron-Bruce Blizzard to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association U18 tier-2 championship.
May 7, 2025
By Steve McAllister
Canadian Baseball Network Guest Columnist
Tanner Smith has an awful lot of kilometres to cover for entering the same sacred space Larry Walker occupied as one of Canada’s most-decorated sandlot stars.
The teenager from the small municipality of Ripley near the shores of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario has higher credentials than the National Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame outfielder, however, when it comes to the art of stopping pucks.
Smith, who is off to Bryant and Stratton College in Akron, Ohio this summer to pitch and play the outfield for the NJCAA Division 2 Bobcats, put a rather tidy bow on his minor hockey career in late March by backstopping the Huron-Bruce Blizzard to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association under-18 Tier 2 championship in Halton Hills, Ont.
Goalie Tanner Smith (Ripley, Ont.) after the Huron-Bruce Blizzard won OMHA Championship tournament in Halton Hills. That’s grandfather Rick, left, Tanner, dad Mike (holding trophy) and brother Reed
The Blizzard went undefeated in five games and only allowed two goals with Smith pitching back-to-back shutouts in his team’s semifinal and final wins over the Ayr Flames and Talbot Trailblazers.
While Walker was cut by his hockey team as a 17-year-old and changed his focus to baseball, Smith was a key performer in a title run by the Blizzard – represented by players from the communities of Ripley and Lucknow (the hometown of 1972 Summit Series hero Paul Henderson).
“It has meant the world to me to retire from minor hockey with a red hat (handed out by the OMHA to its champions),” Smith said. “It was a grind for the last 10 years losing in two OMHA championship games (including) one in a shootout after three overtimes.”
Since the start of 2025, Smith has been living the busy life of a two-sport student-athlete. Juggling Grade 12 schoolwork and the end of a Kincardine District Senior School co-op program working for a hockey advisory agency. Practicing and playing games as the Blizzard’s lone goaltender.
Making the two-hour drive to Kitchener, twice weekly for indoor training sessions with the Tri-City Giants under-18 team. And juggling his sports around the March break with hockey playoffs and a baseball tournament in Florida.
“I was supposed to leave on a bus with the team on the Friday before March break, but our hockey team had a game on Friday night (which it won to clinch a berth at the OMHA championship tourney),” said Smith. “The next morning my dad (Mike) drove me to meet (Giants president) Rob Kaal (for the flight to Florida).
“My experience in Florida was great. We played 1-to-2 games each day and only lost two games against some strong teams from Canada and USA.”
Zach Kaal, who coaches the Tri-City U18 team and has been Smith’s mentor since 2023, said the left-hander delivered one of his best performances during that March break tourney,
“He shut down one of the top high-school programs in Pennsylvania as we were 1-1 going into the sixth inning against one of the best lineups we’ve ever faced,” said Kaal. “Players in our program gravitate towards Tanner as he has a very funny personality and is an awesome teammate.
“There is no doubt that Tanner will go (to Bryant and Stratton) and make an immediate impact on the mound and in the outfield. He 100 per cent has the potential to play beyond junior college, as his stuff on the mound is very good ... with a low-80s fastball with insane run paired with a plus slider, his work ethic and smarts on the mound”
Mike Smith, who with his wife Trish and Tanner’s brother, Reed, and sister, Marlee, are all involved in the family’s 3,500-acre farm south of Ripley, has had a bird’s-eye view of his son’s laser focus over the last three years to pursue his dream.
“Tanner has put his heart and soul into his baseball journey,” said the elder Smith, who has served as his son’s personal catcher and batting practice pitcher. He has spent a lot of time in the car and a lot of late nights on the roads. He has balanced this very well with his schoolwork and keeping his grades where they need to be.
“He is a kid that always likes to stay busy. Any free moment he has at home he is outside throwing a ball, shooting pucks in the garage or working out.”
The younger Smith gives a tap of the proverbial hockey stick to the Tri-City program for helping him land a spot at Bryant and Stratton, which he hopes will pave a path to an NCAA school to study either sports management or agriculture.
“In the summer, we have two doubleheaders a weekend and a practice a week. We have two to three tournaments in the US and two to three local tournaments in the fall. Each year we play about 50 games between the beginning of March and September.
“I owe a lot to this organizaion for everything they have done and a big thanks to Zach, Tyler (Kaal) and Rob for all of their support.”