Brett Larson, Gophers Hockey Land Huge Commitment From CHL Standout

Tarin Smith of the Everett Silvertips is a big-time defenseman who was a third-round NHL draft pick a couple years ago.

Gophers men's hockey | Credit: Brad Rempel, University of Minnesot

New Gophers men's hockey coach Brett Larson continues to have quite the offseason, and his latest addition is among the program's biggest yet. Minnesota has landed a commitment from 20-year-old Canadian Hockey League defenseman Tarin Smith, who was drafted in the third round by the Anaheim Ducks two years ago.

Smith was born in March 2006 in the small town of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. He had a big season with the U18 AAA Saskatoon Blazers in 2021-22, then began his Canadian Hockey League career with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL the following year. Smith had 44 points in 67 games in 2023-24, which helped him get drafted 79th overall by Anaheim that summer.

Since being drafted, Smith has continued to ascend. He had 60 points in 65 games in 2024-25, plus 16 points in 13 playoff games. He then put up 71 points (16 goals, 55 assists) in 65 games last season while serving as Everett's captain.

Listed at 6'2" and 190 pounds, Smith is a left-shot defenseman who drives play offensively with his high-level skating and hockey sense. He changes direction well and is a strong playmaker who has also scored 16 goals in each of the last two seasons. Defensively, he's physical and uses his smooth skating to disrupt play.

This is what #WHLPlayoffs are all about 😮‍💨

Tarin Smith dancing through the defence finds Matias Vanhanen waiting on the doorstep! 🕺@WHLsilvertips | #NHLDraft | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/VbEwCaRnbE

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 1, 2026

Smith's defense partner with Everett, Landon DuPont, is currently the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NHL Draft. He's expected to join the NCAA for the 2026-27 season, but the Gophers are reportedly not in the mix for his commitment at this point.

This is a big-time addition for Larson and the Gophers. Smith figures to immediately slot in on the first or second defense pairing for Minnesota, whose defense corps now looks fairly strong.

Minnesota State transfer Evan Murr, a two-time CCHA defenseman of the year, will likely occupy one spot on the top pairing. The Gophers also have St. Cloud State transfers Tanner Henricks and Finn Loftus, who are following Larson to Minneapolis. John Whipple and Jacob Rombach are returning defensemen who skated in all 36 games last year, and Axel Begley is another returner. Smith joins Axel Lofgren, who flipped his commitment from UMass to Minnesota last month, as incoming first-year defensemen in the program.

The Gophers are coming off a down season with 22 losses (their most in almost 30 years) that saw them miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017-18. That led to the dismissal of longtime head coach Bob Motzko, who was replaced by Larson. Motzko was criticized for not adding any CHL talent last offseason, and Larson has now made a huge splash in his first offseason.

It'll be a process for their new coach to build the program back up, but the talent appears to be there for a bounce-back season in 2026-27. In addition to a solid D corps, the Gophers have some exciting forward talent, led by returners Brodie Ziemer and L.J. Mooney and standout incoming freshman Wyatt Cullen.