Back from knee injury, Connor Smith seeks to provide offense for Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

CEDAR RAPIDS — The first injury was bad enough. The second one was worse.

Connor Smith was making a name for himself with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last October when he incurred a concussion in a game against Des Moines.

He sat out about a week and a half to recover, went through a practice as a non-contact player and felt well enough to go full bore the following day. He explains the rest.

“About 35 or 40 minutes in, we were going full-ice one-on-ones,” Smith said. “Lost the puck in the corner, tried driving it back to the net, got hit by the defenseman in front of the net. Just kind of a fluke, freak accident.

“I kind of knew right away that it was something serious. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Probably the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”

It was his left knee. Smith tore meniscus and his ACL and meniscus.

His United States Hockey League season was done.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “I’ve never been a super injury prone kid. Going through something like that for the first time, it brought me to tears knowing that my season was probably over. I mean, it took a couple of days to actually sink in. Then it was like ‘All right, what do I have to do now? What is the next step to get back to playing as fast as possible?’”

He had surgery in late November and began physical therapy in the Twin Cities. He’s from Hugo, Minn.

Smith came back to Cedar Rapids in January to continue PT and be with his teammates.

“Coach (Mark) Carlson encouraged it,” he said. “He said being down here with all the guys that I’d have a lot more motivation getting healthy. It kept me on a good schedule, too. Without hockey, my life would be in shambles. Being down here definitely helped with being on a schedule, working out, being with the guys. Helped with the mental side of it, too.”

Shortly after the RoughRiders’ 2022-23 season ended, Smith was back on the ice skating again. He has a goal and assist in C.R.’s first two games of this regular season.

The Riders had their home opener Saturday night at ImOn Ice against Dubuque. The Fighting Saints won, 4-1.

“I think I’m better. I think I’m stronger, faster,” Smith said. “I’m a year older, too, so I’m more confident, all that type of stuff. Still not 100 percent off ice, but I feel 100 percent on the ice. I still have to work on range of motion, I can’t really jump right now. I’m still doing physical therapy once or twice a week. But as long as I’m playing, it doesn’t really matter.”

Smith, who had a pair of goals and six points in 10 games last season, is being counted upon heavily, especially early in the season, from an offensive standpoint. Cedar Rapids had its top 13 scorers from last season move on, this being its least-experienced group of forwards in club history.

The Union College commit is known for his offensive chops.

“Connor is a real good player, and he’s back and getting acclimated again,” Carlson said. “We think he’s a very good player, and at the same time, we’re going to be very patient with him. For all intents and purposes he’s a rookie. I mean, he only played 10 games last year. He’s very committed, loves hockey, great in the room. He’s going to be a very good player for us this year.”

Smith expects it as well.

“I’m trying to be a leader this year,’ the 20-year-old said. ”I think offense is a major part of my game. I think I’m a fast skater, bring pace. I think I could work on the defensive side, but we’re getting there ... I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and produce offense.“

As are the RoughRiders. They lost their opener at last week’s Fall Classic in Pittsburgh to Sioux Falls, then beat Youngstown.

“Once we won our first game in Pittsburgh, that was very needed for myself and the team,” he said.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com