Martin Smith has always had a passion for hockey and it showed through this season, as he was presented with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League Coach of the Year.
This summer, Smith was selected to coach the Battlefords Midget Stars, his second stint with the team in three years. He had an impressive season coaching the Battlefords Bantam AA Barons last year in the team's first season in the newly formed Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League.
After returning to the Stars with many of the some pieces from the bantam AA coaching staff in place, he quickly began to mold the Stars' roster into what he wanted. Smith led the Stars to a Mac's Tournament appearance in December and had them among the league leaders heading into the second half of the season.
The Stars won 19 games this season, more than the previous two seasons combined. They earned their first playoff berth in a decade.
Smith had some decisions to make at the start of the season to release some veteran players and build a strong core of guys in a short amount of time. He dealt with some key injuries to his roster but had a strong season with the regular ups and down of midget hockey.
"I am honoured to get the award, but it is really an organization's award," said Smith.
Sunday, he was presented with the SMAAAHL's Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by the coaches and governors of the league.
"Right from the boys - they bought into what we were preaching this year. My coaching staff, the management, the board has stuck behind us with some decisions we had to make early on and gave us that support. Even the North Stars, when we have needed to bounce some ideas off them, they have been there. I think this is an award that we can celebrate right through the organization, meaning the North Stars and our club here," said Smith.
