10 Things to Watch: Will Smith

This is our series 10 things to watch in the upcoming Shark season. Will Smith had an inspiring first NHL campaign, and the best part is how his trajectory played out in linear fashion from start to finish. The 19-year-old earned his spot on the opening night roster, but did not register a point until his breakout two-goal performance against Chicago on Halloween. The first portion of the season also included a couple games as a scratch and missing three games in early December with an injury, which is all a sharp contrast to how Smitty’s season went in the second half. By late January, he put together a six-game point streak, and he kicked off March with a 9-point outburst in a sevengame span. Then in April, his first four-point night in the NHL against the Wild in Minnesota. Best of all, number two played in 74 games, proving his durability in a full NHL season and tallying 45 points along the way. But it was that second half where Smith shined. As we mentioned, 32 of those 45 total points came in the final 42 games of the regular season. You could see his comfort and his development both evolving in real time, which brings us to the next steps for the now 20-year-old Sharks forward. He definitely earned the role of a top six winger in San Jose, which predictably gets us to the discussion of his inevitable transition to center as the developments on defense and draws continue at the NHL level. Keep an eye on not only how Smith plays right out of the gate this year, but positionally where he plays in the Sharks lineup. That conversion could be a huge depth piece for the Sharks in future years. There’s also no doubt Smith’s tandem with Mlin Celibbrini will be part of a leadership core for this franchise down the road. So, it’s not only the player that we’re watching emerge, it’s also the

Brodie Brazil highlights forward Will Smith in the latest 10 Thing to Watch for this upcoming Sharks season.

6 comments

  1. Hey Brodie,
    I was so impressed with the trajectory of Smith's rookie season. Lots of people had suggestions about what he needed to do and if he should spend time with the Barracuda but, like his freshman year in college Smith had to adjust to his new team and the level of play once that was managed in both years he took off like a rocket and really proved his value.

    It will be very interesting to see how Will fares in his second year with the same environment plus some new teammates? It seems Will prefers to be a centerman so we will see if this is his time to play his natural position or will he like Patty and Thomas spend more time playing the wing until his overall game rounds into form?

    Regardless I am very excited to see his sophomore season and see how he copes with the league now that he is familiar a bit better and more importantly as the league becomes more acquainted with him!

    Cheers Brodie,

    Peter St. John
    Clovis, CA

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