Oshawa Generals’ D.J. Smith wins OHL coach of the year: ‘I hope they know I have their backs’

For D.J. Smith, it's more fulfilling to be named OHL coach of the year with a team that feels more like his own.

The Oshawa Generals skipper, who was named the Matt Leyden Trophy honouree Wednesday after edging Erie's Kris Knoblauch 48-47 in voting among general managers, was a finalist as a rookie. Had he won then, one would have made the case that the former pro defenceman reaped the benefit of falling heir to a collection talent. Few would say that of the current Generals, who went from contemplating a rebuild to getting Scott Laughton back from the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and soaring to the top of the Eastern Conference. Oshawa is also 8-0 so far in the playoffs ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern final against North Bay on Friday.

"I would say this year's team, it's our team," said Smith, who cut his coaching teeth on the staff of the Windsor Spitfires' back-to-back Memorial Cup-winning teams in 2009 and '10. "Our coaching staff and Jeff Twohey as general manager, every player here is someone we've made a conscious decision to have here. It's a great group of kids. It's great to get a honour like this with a team like this. It doesn't come around very often that you have a group of kids with very little issues.

"We weren't sure what direction we were going in, but with the return of Scott Laughton it gave our guys a lot of confidence," the 36-year-old Smith added. "It's a great honour, but it takes special players and special people to help a team win. I'm the one being honoured, but my coaching staff, ownership, Jeff as general manager and [Oshawa owner] Rocco Tullio deserve it too."

The outcome might be controversial. Knoblauch, with a roster featuring phenom Connor McDavid and three world junior championship players, including Washington Capitals first-rounder André Burakovsky, guided the Otters from being the OHL's second-worst finisher in 2012-13 to its second-best. Guelph's Scott Walker, who steered the Storm to first overall, was third in the balloting with 38 points.

The Generals were much closer to being greater than the sum of their parts than they were in Smith's first season behind the bench. They went into the 2013 playoffs as a darkhorse pick to come out of the Eastern Conference. In Game 1 of the second round vs. the Mark Scheifele-led Barrie Colts, they lost in overtime and were swept aside 4-0. This year's iteration of the Gens seems more capable of fighting for that inch.

"The biggest learning thing was getting swept in the second round with a team I thought was capable of competing with the Barrie Colts, maybe not beating the Barie Colts but definitely competing," says Smith. "I think it shows that when you're a team you have a chance to win when everyone is pulling in the right direction. That wasn't the case. Our team wasn't nearly as close as this year's team. Moving forward, you always know in your heart of hearts whether your team is going to fold under pressure or stick together.

"It felt early on, without knowing how this team would do wins and losses-wise, that this team would play hard every single night for me. To a man, every single guy is my kind of guy, or my kind of player. In our league, it's a big thing to have kids who want to compete every night."

Along the way, two 18-year-old forwards who had very little draft buzz in their first year of eligibility, centre Josh Sterk and 6-foot-6 power winger Hunter Smith, emerged as NHL draft prospects. Left wing Michael Dal Colle also played his way into consideration to be a top five pick in the NHL draft. As a former pro who spent seven years in the American League and played 45 NHL games, the coaching Smith says he has learned about the need to be upfront with young players whose confidence can be ever-wavering.

"I'm big on structure and putting the team first," Smith says. "Certainly right next to it is a player's confidence. The biggest thing I took from playing is try to have as much communication as possible with our players. If I'm upset, we need to talk about it. If you come to the rink every day scared of your coach or mad at your coach or think your coach doesn't like you, you're not going to have a chance to play at your best. Sometimes it's tough to regulate how hard you're going to be a guy but I hope they know I have their backs when the game starts."

Smith was on staff in Windsor when Bob Boughner won the award back-to-back in 2008 and '09. Suffice to say, he's been able to apply that experience to a new team in the other conference.

"A guy like Bob, his attention to detail, his preparedness is something I picked up on," Smith says. "Having the opportunity to win two championships in Windsor, you see how it's done on a day-to-day basis — the big games, how to be ready. It was a great learning experience to part of that."

Smith is the fourth Generals coach to win, but the first since Paul Theriault in 1987.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.