The Detroit Red Wings have acquired forward Craig Smith and goaltender Petr Mrázek from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Joe Veleno.
Smith, 35, has played 40 games for the Blackhawks in the 2024-25 season, tallying 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists) and 28 penalty minutes. Before joining Chicago, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound forward spent the 2023-24 season with the Dallas Stars, where he recorded 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) in 75 regular-season games and contributed two assists in 14 playoff appearances.
Originally selected by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Smith has accumulated 450 points (220 goals, 230 assists), a +90 rating, and 389 penalty minutes in 968 NHL games with the Predators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Stars, and Blackhawks since 2011-12.
He also has 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) in 83 playoff games, including helping Nashville reach the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. In addition to his NHL career, Smith has experience in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals and Finland’s top league, Liiga, with KalPa Kuopio.
A Madison, Wisconsin native, Smith played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin from 2009-11, serving as team captain in his sophomore year. He registered 76 points (27 goals, 49 assists) in 82 games and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2009-10. Before college, he played in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks, earning USHL First All-Star Team honors in 2008-09.
Internationally, Smith represented Team USA in four consecutive IIHF World Championships (2011-14), earning a bronze medal in 2013 while leading the tournament in assists. He also won gold at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge and bronze at the 2007 edition.
Mrázek, 33, returns to the Red Wings, the team that originally drafted him in the fifth round (141st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. The veteran goaltender played parts of six seasons with Detroit from 2012-18.
This season, he has appeared in 33 games for Chicago, posting a 10-19-2 record with a 3.46 goals-against average (GAA) and a .890 save percentage. In 2023-24, he played 56 games for the Blackhawks, recording an 18-31-4 record, a 3.03 GAA, and a .908 save percentage.
Over his NHL career, Mrázek has a 178-174-40 record with a 2.85 GAA, a .906 save percentage, and 25 shutouts in 423 games with the Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Blackhawks.
In the AHL, he has a 55-28-4 record, including a 2.23 GAA and a .920 save percentage, helping the Grand Rapids Griffins win the Calder Cup in 2013. He was also an AHL All-Star in 2013 and named to the AHL Second All-Star Team in 2013-14.
Before turning pro, Mrázek played three seasons with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, posting a 75-37-10 record. He led the league with a .920 save percentage in 2010-11 and won the Dinty Moore Trophy for best rookie GAA in 2009-10.
The Czechia native developed in HC Vitkovice’s youth system before moving to North America. Internationally, he has represented Czechia at three IIHF World Championships (2012, 2017, 2024), winning gold in 2024 and bronze in 2012.
He also played in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and was named the best goaltender at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship after posting a .928 save percentage in six games.
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