William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Jalen Smereck, a former defenseman in the Arizona Coyotes organization who is playing for 3ICE Tennessee in the professional 3-on-3 tournament at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale through Aug. 14.

Being a defenseman in the high-scoring, fast-paced 3ICE tournament is a seemingly impossible job, but Jalen Smereck doesn’t mind.

“When you can play hockey in South Florida in July and August, there's not much to complain about,” the 28-year-old Detroit native said.

Smereck, who played for Toledo of the ECHL last season, is thriving as the lone defenseman on the roster for Tennessee in the eight-team, 3-on-3 professional

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