CarShield AAA 18U goalie Smith signs NAHL tender

The CarShield AAA hockey organization of the NAPHL is pleased to announce that 18U goaltender Matt Smith has signed a North American Hockey League (NAHL) tender agreement with the Springfield Jr. Blues of the NAHL’s Midwest Division.

Smith, 18, is in his fourth season of playing in the NAPHL for the CarShield AAA organization. The 5’11/165 lbs. native of St. Louis, Missouri, has played in 11 NAPHL games so far this season and posted an 8-3-0 record with a 2.19 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

Smith was named the NAPHL’s Peak Peformer for 18U Goaltenders during the month of September as he led CarShield to three wins in his three starts during the first event in Blaine. That included two shutouts in wins over Colorado Springs and Arizona.

Smith spent the 2019-20 season playing for the CarShield AAA 18U team and CBC High School in St. Louis.

During the 2018-19 season, he appeared in eight NAPHL games for the CarShield 16U team and during the 2017-18 seaosn, he played for the 15U team.

Smith has appeared in 25 regular season games and seven playoff games during his NAPHL career.

Click here for a list of 2020-21 NAPHL tenders

A tender is a contract, of sorts, a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team. Each team is granted ten (10) tenders, which include two (2) tenders exclusively used on players from the NAPHL - plus or minus any trades - which became active on Nov. 1. Tendered players are not eligible for the 2021 NAHL Draft.