Will Smith

June 2023 – Smith has been selected 4th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2023 NHL Draft. Curtis Rines

April 2023 – Will Smith has had lots of incredible performances over the year, but there have also been some mediocre ones. Mixing in a bad game here and there isn’t surprising as he just turned 18 years old. Also, Smith usually follows up a tough performance with a jaw-dropping one. Smith has legitimate star potential and is going to continue his success at Boston College next year where he’ll likely play alongside his NTDP linemates once again. He extends possessions, finds teammates using great deception and can score at a high level in the future. His role at the next level will be determined by his development in areas like his skating stride and his two-way game, but his offensive game has little-to-no holes. He can play physically but is much more reliant on skill because he has elite tools and an excellent feel for the game. Evan Pace

September 2022 – Will Smith split last season fairly evenly between the USNTDP’s U17 and U18 squads and produced well at both levels. In 35 games with the U17s, he tallied 17 goals to go along with 20 assists, and nearly matched that rate with the U18s, scoring 14 goals and 13 assists in 28 games. He also added four more points at the U18 Worlds, earning a silver medal with Team USA.

Smith is one of the more interesting players to watch this year due to his complete, two-way skill game. The Boston College commit will look to improve on his already great production from last year. Smith played a lot of last year with the U18 squad as a 16-year-old and looked very comfortable. He’s a confident, skilled forward who can play either center or wing and has a great set of hands and playmaking ability. Smith can score, too, as he’s got a very quick, deceptive release and is a very intelligent offensive player, therefore creating lots of scoring chances for himself and his teammates. This year, Smith will be playing full-time with a lesser-talented U18 team but should still put up some high-level numbers playing alongside some solid top-six forwards. Evan Pace