[sureLoss]

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/07/07...tm_source=t.co

The skyscraping right-winger isn’t going to beat 5-foot-something forward Johnny Gaudreau in a fastest skater competition, but it’s not like you need to call timeout so he can catch up with the play.

“He might not look the prettiest, but as we found out during the year, he doesn’t finish last in too many races,” said Flames GM Brad Treliving earlier this week. “The exciting part is he’s still so raw. Physically, you look at him and he’s a big kid. But there’s a lot of filling out to do. There’s a lot of strength to do. And even mechanically, with his stride, there is some work to be done.

“He’s going to take some time,” Treliving continued. “As we improve (his skating), that will make him even a better player. But you’re right — you look at him now, and he gets to places. He arrives on time. Even in a couple of drills, he was beating people.

“It probably doesn’t hurt when you take one stride, and it’s probably equal to about four strides of the normal person.”

When it comes to assessing his skating skills, you could argue he’s maybe beating himself up a bit.

“I think I have be (critical),” Smith said. “I had 21 interviews at the combine, and every team, it was the same story, so obviously something is wrong with it.”