Former Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen D.J. Smith has been hired by the team as an assistant coach, according to a realease.

The release follows reports from Toronto Sun's Terry Koshun, CTV's Norman James, and Sportsbet's Damian Cox.

According to Cox, the deal is a four-year contract that comes after Smith spent time with head coach Mike Babcock, joining Babcock's former assistant coach Jim Hiller on the new staff.

Smith, 38, continues a trend that has seen the Leafs poach top OHL coaches and executives into the organization since president Brendan Shanahan took over last year.

Since Shanahan's arrival, the organization has hired Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas, Greyhounds coach Sheldon Keefe, Knights GM Mark Hunter, Knights Director of Scouting Lindsay Hofford and Saginaw GM Jim Paliafito.

Smith is fresh off a Memorial Cup title with the Oshawa Generals, the OHL's most dominant franchise this season.

As a player, Smith skated in 45 games between the Colorado Avalanche and the Leafs, spending several seasons with Toronto's AHL affiliate, then the St. John's Maple Leafs.

Shortly after his retirement, Smith joined the Windsor Spitfires as an assistant coach, where he won two Memorial Cups, before being hired as Oshawa's head coach prior to the 2012-2013 season.

In three seasons with the Generals, Smith coached the team to a second round playoff loss, a third round playoff loss, and finally the Memorial Cup, amassing an impressive 135-53-16 record, including a staggering 51-11-6 record this season.

The Generals played an impressive, high-intensity style, applying relentless pressure up ice to create defensive and neutral zone turnovers.