Playing Style
Smyth plays in the style of a power forward, depending largely on his size and strength to contribute offensively. By positioning himself in front of the net, he earns most of his goals by tipping pucks in past the goaltender or scoring on rebounds. Relying heavily on force and determination, he does not possess particularly good shooting skills. He has been known to use a two-piece stick (composite shaft with wooden blade) with a flat blade, both of which are trends which have largely gone out of date during or before Smyth's career. As a result, his success is predicated less on skill, but force and determination. When the Oilers drafted him out of junior, it was said that general manager Glen Sather was looking for someone with "lots of guts". Smyth is also known as a leader, having served as captain for Canada's World Championship teams on six occasions, as well as an alternate captain on all of the teams he has played with in the NHL.
Read more about this topic: Ryan Smyth
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