Whistler training has earned Eric Smith a berth in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, and hopefully a ticket to even bigger and better things.

The 17-year-old defenceman, whom Whistler Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) coach Micah Stipech calls “a nicer version of Chris Pronger,” is joining the Nelson Leafs this season after spending the summer bulking up with lifelong friend and fellow local hockey star Garrett Milan in the new Crossfit Whistler Gym in Creekside.

A product of the WMHA and a stint in Saskatchewan’s Athol Murray College of Notre Dame school and hockey program, Smith attracted interest from a few Junior A teams after playing well at a camp in Port Alberni this summer. The Trail Smoke Eaters, a Junior A team in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), then brought him to their camp, where Smith impressed the coaches and made the camp all-star team.

But the Smokies had already filled their roster, Smith said, so they referred him to the Nelson Leafs with the pledge that he’ll be affiliated with the Smokies and will get multiple shots at playing with the BCHL club this year.

Though Smith said he also had an offer from the new Squamish Wolf Pack, at the end of Trail’s camp he settled on joining the Nelson Leafs because of its organization and the opportunities to try to crack the Smoke Eaters’ roster.

“Nelson would be the best bet to make things go well,” he said. Kootenay is one of the best Junior B leagues, and Nelson has a history of developing young players and sending them onward and upward, he added.

As for Trail, the town’s lengthy hockey history is important to Smith, who was impressed by the way spectators packed the arena just for the team’s camp.

“(Trail has) 100 years of hockey history, and the town is in love with the team,” Smith said.

He said he it was also nice to feel wanted by the organizations that pursued him, particularly Trail. Smith recounted with quiet pride how Smokies head coach Jim Ingram told Smith in a post-camp meeting that he was really happy with him. The coach turned to his scout and said, “Good find, this one,” according to Smith.

“It’s definitely nice to have people wanting you,” Smith said.

The recent spate of success is a confidence booster for a young player who suffered a string of disappointments at the beginning of last season. Smith said he was the last defenceman cut from the Northwest Giants, the Vancouver-based major midget club with which Milan had great success, and he was disheartened not to have made the team. He then headed back to Notre Dame but was too late for the AAA tryouts, so he came home to Whistler to return to the WMHA.

Smith credits WMHA midget rep coach Stipech, who instructed him last year, with helping restore his drive to play.

“He definitely helped me get back onto the track I was on before,” Smith said, as the coach urged the player do what was needed to better himself, such as prompting him to consider a Michigan AAA team. That wasn’t the right fit for Smith, but Stipech said he’s happy with the direction in which the talented young player and solid young man is headed.

“One of the biggest qualities that Eric has is his character (on and off the ice)… he’ll do whatever you ask him to,” Stipech said, praising Smith’s ability to dominate games and opposing teams, his consistency and his leadership by actions and example.

Stipech said Smith does the little things well, such as moving his feet as soon as he gets the puck to create space for playmaking, which a lot of young players forget to do. Stipech said Smith is a skilled but tough player who can be counted on to play hard in big games and shut down the other teams’ top lines, as he did for the midget rep team last season in conference battles against Langley and in the provincial tournament.

“His best games are always in the big games — coaches love that,” Stipech said.

Stipech said he thinks Smith will have to develop over the next year and learn by making mistakes, but the Whistler coach thinks the player has what it takes to play U.S. college hockey.

Smith said it’s long been his goal first to make the BCHL, then to move on to NCAA Division I hockey. He current has his sights set on Brown University, saying he likes the hockey program and the educational opportunities.

In the meantime, Smith is looking forward to getting into the swing of things in Nelson, finishing up his last year of high school while adapting to the pace of play in the bigger leagues. He said he doesn’t think he’ll have too many problems with the level of play.

“I had a good warm-up for it at Trail’s camp,” he said, though he anticipates he’ll have to learn to handle the increased amount of fighting in the junior levels.

Smith, who first played in the WMHA from ages five through 14, credits his success to coaches such as Stipech and the WMHA’s Joey Ewing, to the support of his family and friends and to the steps he has taken to find extra opportunities to improve his skills. Along with Milan and a group of similarly talented young corridor players, Smith spent off-seasons playing for the Whistler Mountain Rangers, the team that has dominated the Ultimate Spring Hockey League and won a number of tournaments, including the Whistler International All-Star Hockey Tournament.

The Mountain Rangers are going places: Milan will be playing for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees this season, while Jesse Clemiss attracted the Wolf Pack’s attention, though his chances were hurt by an unfortunately timed bout of mononucleosis.