Mark Smith was born October 24, 1977 in Edmonton, Alberta. The ninth round, 219th overall selection of the San Jose Sharks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Smith is a graduate of the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.
A hard-working center, Smith played fours seasons in Lethbridge finishing his junior career with 75 goals and 142 assists for 217 points in 252 career games before making his professional debut with the Sharks AHL affiliate in Kentucky in 1997-98 AHL playoffs. The Edmonton, Alberta native played parts of four seasons with Kentucky before making his NHL debut with the Sharks during the 2000-01 season.
After seasons of 42 and 49 games, Smith saw action in 75 games during the 2002-03 season, registering 15 points (4-11-15) before spending the majority of the 2003-04 season as a healthy reserve.