The San Jose Sharks are one of the NHL teams with the brightest futures ahead of them. For the past few seasons, the team has been slowly building a pool of great prospects who are steadily making their breakthroughs into the NHL. However, one prospect of theirs has a much shorter timeline to making his Sharks’ debut. That prospect is none other than Will Smith.
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The Sharks selected Smith fourth overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft (“San Jose’s Fresh Prince: Sharks take offensive-minded center in NHL Draft,” Mercury News). Last season, he put up 127 points in 60 games with the National Team Development Program’s Team USA. These point totals would have likely seen Smith going first or second overall in any other draft class, but this year’s draft was so strong that he slipped to fourth. As a result, there is a decent chance that Smith will find his way to the Sharks’ main roster much sooner than many of their other prospects.
Smith Spending His Post-Draft Season with Boston College
Rather than try to make a direct jump to the NHL following his selection at fourth overall, Smith decided to spend his first year as a prospect of the Sharks with Boston College in the NCAA. While the season has yet to get underway, the decision to allow his development to happen naturally already shows that the Sharks are not going to rush their now-top prospect. That being said, the transition to collegiate hockey will likely be relatively straightforward for Smith.
One trait that Smith has constantly been praised for is his ability to control the flow of the game. Considering his unreal point production the year prior, it is easy to see that he has a natural gift for forcing the game to follow him rather than the other way around. While there isn’t any verifiable proof that this skill will carry over to the NCAA, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith continue his amazing production capabilities immediately. In fact, there’s a chance that he performs so well that fans can see him in the NHL within one season.
Smith Capable of Making the Sharks Relatively Soon
Realistically, seeing Smith play for the Sharks in the 2023-24 season wouldn’t have been that surprising. That being said, there’s a possibility that could still be the case. While Smith has dedicated himself to Boston College for their season, it is relatively commonplace to see prospects join their teams when the season nears its end. For Smith, this type of thing happening wouldn’t be surprising at all. However, he may very well find himself staying with the Sharks permanently once this season concludes.
Similar to what was said about Smith’s ability to translate to the NCAA, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him transition to the NHL with little to no issues. Additionally, the Sharks are beginning to give their prospects extended NHL time. They may have finally reached a spot where they are willing to begin moving towards a younger team. If that is the case, Smith is the perfect player to let have extended ice time with a brand-new squad. Only time will tell what the Sharks will do, but Smith could be exactly what they need to kickstart the future.
Overall, Smith is exactly what the Sharks needed to help move their rebuild in the right direction. While he won’t start the 2023-24 season with the Sharks, he could very well end the season with them. Unlike most prospects, he is already on the fast track to the NHL, which makes him extremely special. While the Sharks may add another top prospect at the end of this season, Smith is the best chance they have for a superstar player as of right now. Hopefully fans will see him in teal sooner rather than later.
