This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ARLINGTON -- Life has been different for Josh Smith lately. But fatherhood is a good type of different.
Smith’s wife, Claire, gave birth to their daughter Charlotte on Sept. 28, 2025, with Josh celebrating his first Father’s Day this weekend.
“It’s been different for sure,” Smith said with a smile. “It’s been busy, but it's been good. Just seeing her get bigger is pretty exciting. It's just been a completely different life, but it's been fun.”
When it comes to being a father, Smith credits his own with setting a good example throughout his life. But he also credited Claire for being there every step of the way as they learn to be first-time parents together.
“My dad really taught me a lot,” Smith said. “I’m still just learning from him and how he dealt with us three kids. Just seeing how my parents raised us has been so helpful. And obviously Claire has been helping me out, like we help each other out, but yeah, I'd say those two have been huge.”
Smith’s 2026 has been tumultuous, including an extended trip to the injured list for a plethora of injuries and a bout of viral meningitis. That makes all the moments he gets to spend with baby Charlotte that much more beautiful.
Josh and Claire are cherishing everything now, while Charlotte is still little, though they can’t wait for her to continue growing.
But his favorite thing?
“Just when she looks at me,” Smith said. “Right now, she's in a phase where she just loves Claire more than anything. She freaks out whenever Claire leaves, so whenever she gives me any attention, it's pretty nice.
“The best part is seeing her personality come out. You can kind of see it already. It's cute, just seeing her grow and get older and be able to talk to me and acknowledge me is just kind of what I'm looking forward to the most.”