Greyhounds staff grows by two

The Soo Greyhounds coaching staff has added another member.

On Thursday, the team announced the hiring of Matt Smith as its new goaltending coach.

Smith takes over for Dan Stewart, who was hired by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in the spring.

“We are fortunate to be able to add Matt to our staff for the upcoming season,” Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said in a prepared statement. “Matt has a proven track record of developing goaltenders and helping them get to the next level. Knowing Matt and his philosophies, he’s going to be a great fit for our staff and for our team’s goaltenders.”

The 31-year-old Smith is the president and lead instructor of Matt Smith Goaltending Inc.

Among the goaltenders Smith has worked with in recent years was former Guelph Storm goaltender Nico Daws, who was the Ontario Hockey League's goaltender of the year in 2020 and drafted by the New Jersey Devils.

Smith’s coaching experience includes six seasons as goaltender coach with the Storm.

He joined the Storm in 2012 and remained with the team until the end of the 2017-18 season.

Earlier this week, the Greyhounds also announced the hiring of Ryan Dumoulin as its new video analyst and director of analytics.

A 23-year-old native of Cochrane, Ont. joins the team after two years as assistant general manager and director of video and analytics with the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Cochrane Crunch.

Dumoulin also spent one season as an analytics and video intern with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats.

“Video analysis is a huge component of how we work with our players and assist in their growth and development. Ryan’s skillset in these areas will bring a lot of added value to our coaching staff for the upcoming season,” Raftis said in a release announcing Dumoulin’s hiring.

Dumoulin takes over the role from CJ D’Alimonte, who joined the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins prior to the 2020-21 season.