As San Jose Sharks Pick First Overall in 2024 NHL Draft, Don't Forget About Will Smith

The text arrived just after the preliminary round of the world juniors ended in early January. But the message it contained wasn’t really received until a couple of days later, when Will Smith found himself stapled to the bench in the semifinal.

By then, the U.S. was trailing Finland after one period. Smith and his linemates were each a minus-2, which explains why they had seen more of the bench than the ice. Something had to change. Someone had to take charge. 

“We knew our line had to step it up,” Smith said. “We were down 2-0, and it was do or die. We didn’t want to have any regrets. So we knew when we were out there, we had to make something happen.”

That’s when Smith remembered the message he had received from former NHLer Todd Marchant, who is now the San Jose Sharks’ director of player development. 

“This is the time when the best players become the best players,” it read. “Remember, there are two types of players: players who are good in the playoffs and players who are good in the regular season. When the chips are down, this is where you lead.”

It was nothing Smith hadn’t heard before. Heck, the 18-year-old had said as much when he met with Marchant and the rest of the Sharks management team months earlier when trying to convince the California club to select him in the draft. 

“I like the hype and pressure,” Smith said to Marchant at the time. “I want to be ‘The Guy.’ ”

And so, with his team on the ropes – and his tournament in jeopardy – Smith finally got off the bench and backed up his words. In the process, he showed why he’s one of the best players currently outside the NHL. 

“Obviously, we had some blowouts early on,” Smith said. “So, going into the medal round, we knew it was going to be higher competition. I remember getting a text from (Marchant) saying something like, ‘This is where we need that big-time player to show up and play well.’ ”

First, Smith assisted on a Jimmy Snuggerud power-play goal to make it 2-1. Moments later, he buried a Gabe Perreault pass from the side of the net to tie things up. That was all the momentum the Americans needed, and a late goal from Cutter Gauthier sent them to the final. 

“You could tell there was a message sent,” Marchant said. “For me, that was the moment where he said enough was enough. As a player-development guy, it’s nice to see those things, where a player recognizes he’s not playing his best. Instead of pointing fingers, he just went out and got the job done.”

Crisis averted. Not that there was much time to exhale. The next day, the Americans faced Sweden in the final, where Smith picked up a pair of assists in a 6-2 win that was closer than the final score indicated. 

“It’s pretty special,” said Smith a couple weeks after winning gold. “Looking back on it, I’m still kind of in awe when I watch the highlights and that final game with that many people in yellow. Winning that championship is something I’ll never forget.”

In a 2023 NHL draft where most of the focus was on No. 1 pick Connor Bedard, it’s easy to forget just how fortunate the Sharks were to land Smith with the fourth-overall selection. After all, despite being the first American chosen, it’s not like he was the only skilled forward out there.

Adam Fantilli, who went third overall to Columbus, is already in the NHL. The same goes for Leo Carlsson, who went second to the Anaheim Ducks. And although Matvei Michkov dropped to seventh overall, that was more a product of the sniping right winger being born in Russia rather than Rimouski.

As such, Smith flew somewhat under the radar. Although, if you didn’t know about the Boston native heading into the draft, you certainly did after he finished the world juniors with four goals and nine points in seven games. 

This is an excerpt from Michael Traikos' feature of Smith in The Hockey News' Future Watch. As Macklin Celebrini is about to join the fold with the San Jose Sharks, don't forget about Smith, who was judged to be one of the NHL's top prospects.

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