It’s hard to believe that a fourth-round pick in 2023 would slide down the prospect rankings just a year after his draft season, especially if that player produces one of the best seasons in college hockey post-draft, but here we are we . Coming in second on Fear the Fin’s Top 25 Under 25 is San Jose Sharks draftee Will Smith.

Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 181 pounds
Age: 19
Birth date: March 17, 2005
Draft year: 2023 (4th overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Recordings: Right
2024-25 team: San Jose Sharks

Smith is still, as our own Lakshya Jain put it last season, a “special talent.” We’re not saying his skill or potential has diminished even a bit. The pool of interested parties has just gotten a little bigger with the addition of potential superstar Macklin Celebrini.

Smith was exceptional in his first season after the draft, recording 71 points in 41 games as a freshman at Boston College. He led the college scoring team and did most of his work on a line that also included fellow first-rounders Ryan Leonard (WSH) and Gabe Perreault (NYR). The trio was also part of Team USA at the World Junior Championships, where Smith scored nine points in seven games for Team USA and ultimately won a gold medal.

What we like

Let’s be honest: what’s not to like for a 19-year-old?

“Smith has tremendous puck skills, vision and overall offensive creativity and projects to be a great asset on an NHL power play. “He skates well and makes so many plays at a high level of difficulty and speed, which fits well with his pro status,” The Athletic’s Corey Pronman said in his NHL Pipeline rankings for the Sharks. “Smith is a top-notch passer who can find lots of gaps in the O-zone and finish chances from the points.”

The Athletics’ Scott Wheeler, who recently ranked all NHL draftees, ranked Smith eighth on his list, highlighting his puck-handling ability.

“Smith is a brilliant handler and manipulator of the puck, even at full speed. He is a tantalizing and slippery talent who incorporates deception, baiting, and deception (using his eyes, shoulders, and head) into his movements to not only make opposing players miss the goal, but often send them them in the wrong direction,” Wheeler wrote.

He called Smith “cunning.”

“He is the type of player who can beat you with a pass, a dangerous wrist shot (which beats the goalie with timing and accuracy rather than power) or with a deke. He is a joy to watch in possession and processes the game at such an advanced and rapid level,” Wheeler wrote. “The way he rolls across the top circles and then plays from the top slot or slides off the wall into the middle is something special. The way he goes through coverage and holds on to pucks is special. It’s just so hard to get a handle on him. His game is so elusive that you never know where he’s going with the puck. I like the development he has shown over the last year and a half to chase and produce more pucks as well.”

Fear the Fin’s Jain believes Smith can be an 80-90 point center in this league and a perennial All-Star.

“With a stunning shot, an incredible hockey brain and puck skills that would already match or exceed those of many current NHL players, the Sharks’ superstar prospect could pair well with Macklin Celebrini and create one of the strongest one-two combinations in the world form NHL in the coming years,” Jain wrote.

Areas for improvement

But just as his youth is an advantage, it is also a hindrance. Smith’s game is far from perfect. Pronman believes the fact that Smith isn’t “overly physical” or “a high-energy player” is a disadvantage for him. I would argue that the way the NHL has changed in recent years could be overstated if you know how to play the game at a high level.

Wheeler also highlights the lack of physicality, saying that “he’s a little too eager to escape the zone.”

We believe Smith will rise to the challenge in the NHL and that it won’t be as much of an issue in a year or two.

This season will be about adapting his game to different playing styles. Watching him in the NCAA Tournament, there were teams that clearly stifled Smith’s ability to make the plays we’re used to. He wasn’t exactly outstanding against Quinnipiac, which played more of a shutdown style. Learning to play in all situations against all types of offenses and defenses will be a key area of ​​improvement for Smith this season. There will be times when he will struggle at the NHL level.

As a 19-year-old entering the men’s professional hockey league for the first time, Smith also has to get used to the speed and pace of the game. College hockey prepared him somewhat for the greatness that comes with players in their early to mid-twenties, but professional hockey players play much faster and think about the game at a much higher level.

So far it looked like Smith was keeping up with the steep curve, but things could get more difficult as the season progresses.

Highlights

This video from the 2024 World Junior Championships showcases not only Smith’s shot, but his ability to find space all by himself in a high-risk area. Smith was so open that he had an easy target in this game.

Will Smith 🤝 Backdoor goals #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/b9kJ5VlpSV

– USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 4, 2024

Added to this is his ability to identify scoring opportunities with this shot pass. Think about what it would look like if Luke Kunin or Ty Dellandrea faced off in front of the net. Thomas Bordeleau has also been working on this aspect of his game, he could also provide an outlet for Smith.

Will Smith looked great in the gold medal game. His shot pass onto Gabe Perreault’s tape makes it 1-0 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/U9u9yOo1pH

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) January 5, 2024

So far the top 25 under 25

3. William Eklund
4. Yaroslav Askarov
5. Quentin Musty
6. Sam Dickinson
7. Shakir Mukhamadullin
8. Filip Bystedt
9. Thomas Bordeleau
10. Henry Thrun
11. Kasper Halttunen
12. Igor Chernyshov
13. Luca Cagnoni
14. Danil Gushchin
15. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
16. Collin Graf
17. Jack Thompson
18. Ethan Cardwell
19. Cameron Lund
20. Eric Pohlkamp
21. Ty Dellandrea
22. Mattias Havelid
23. Jake Furlong
24. Georgy Romanov
25. Tristen Robins
Honorable Mention: Brandon Svoboda, Gannon Laroque, Brandon Coe, Carson Wetsch and Valtteri Pulli