In return for Joe Veleno, the Red Wings get Craig Smith and Petr Mrázek from the Chicago Blackhawks.
DAMAGE Today, the Detroit Red Wings traded winger Joe Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Craig Smith and goalie Petr Mrázek.
Throughout the 2024–25 season, Smith, 35, has skated in 40 games with the Blackhawks, scoring 16 points (9-7-16) and logging 28 penalty minutes. Throughout the 2023–24 season, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound forward played for the Dallas Stars, recording 20 points (11-9-20), 33 penalty minutes, a plus-two rating, and two assists in 14 postseason games. Smith was first chosen by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Since 2011–12, he has played in 968 games for the Predators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Stars, and Blackhawks, amassing 450 points (220-230-450), a plus-90 rating, and 389 penalty minutes. Along with his 20 penalty minutes and 23 points (9-14-23) in 83 postseason games, he helped the Predators advance to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. Smith also scored eight points (4-4-8) in eight games with KalPa Kuopio in Finland’s top professional league during the 2012–13 season, and five points (1-4-5) in four games with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.
Smith, a Madison, Wisconsin native, played at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons from 2009–11 before going pro. In his second year, he was named team captain. Smith earned a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2009–10 after amassing 76 points (27–49–76) and 159 penalty minutes in 82 games with the Badgers. Prior to attending college, Smith played 157 games for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the US Hockey League from 2006–09, scoring 117 points (49–68–117) and logging 226 penalty minutes. In his last season, he was named to the USHL First All-Star Team. Smith also scored 101 points (51-50-101) in 40 games during the 2004–06 season at Madison La Follette High School. From 2011–14, Smith competed for Team USA in four straight IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze in 2013 after leading the competition with ten assists. Additionally, he won a bronze in the 2007 World Junior A Challenge and a gold in the 2008 competition.
Mrázek, who was originally chosen by Detroit in the fifth round (141st overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, returns to the Red Wings after playing for the team for portions of six seasons from 2012 to 2018. With 33 games played in 2024–25, Mrázek has a 10-19-2 record, a 3.46 goals-against average, and a 0.890 save % with the Blackhawks. In 56 games with the Blackhawks during the 2023–24 season, the 6-foot-2, 188-pound goalie recorded an 18-31-4 record, a 3.03 goals-against average, a 0.908 save percentage, and one shutout. Since 2012–13, Mrázek has played in 423 games with the Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Blackhawks, amassing a 178–174–40 record with a 2.85 goals-against average, a 0.906 save percentage, and 25 shutouts. In 89 AHL games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Chicago Wolves, and Toronto Marlies, he has also recorded a 55-28-4 record with a 2.23 goals-against average, a 0.920 save percentage, and seven shutouts. In 2013, he helped the Griffins win the Calder Cup. Mrázek was selected to the AHL Second All-Star Team in 2013–14 and participated in the 2013 AHL All-Star Classic while playing for the Griffins.
Mrázek spent three seasons with the Ottawa 67 in the Ontario Hockey League from 2009–12 before going professional. He finished with a 75–37–10 record, a 2.87 goals-against average, a 0.916 save percentage, and 10 shutouts in 132 games. Mrázek won the Dinty Moore Trophy in 2009–10 as the rookie with the greatest goals-against average, and he led all OHL goaltenders in 2010–11 with a 0.920 save percentage. Before coming to North America, the native of Ostrava, Czechia, grew up with HC Vitkovice’s development system, playing in 85 games at the under-18 level and 13 with the under-20 squad. Mrázek has competed internationally for Czechia in three IIHF World Championships (2012, 2017, 2024),
taking home a gold medal in 2024 and a bronze in 2012. Additionally, he played in two World Cup of Hockey games for Team Czech Republic. Mrázek also represented his nation in the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he finished with a 3-3 record, a 2.49 goals-against average, a 0.928 save %, and one shutout in six games. He was awarded the tournament’s best goalie.
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