San Jose Sharks top prospect Will Smith had a chance to meet Johnny Gaudreau at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

San Jose Sharks top prospect Will Smith had a chance to meet Johnny Gaudreau at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Like Smith, Gaudreau attended Boston College. Before worlds, Smith hadn't met the Columbus Blue Jackets forward. The two bonded over their alma mater, and Smith said a BC group formed during the tournament. 

"I played with him at worlds. It was a good month with. [We had] a good little BC crew there. We got to play golf together and just spend time in the hotel. It was great," Smith said. "It was more just talking about school, just stories. Those are some good memories that I'll have forever."

Smith's NHL career is about to begin, as he will participate in this weekend's Rookie Faceoff Tournament. Smith told reporters that he has added some weight and is playing at 185 lbs. 

While Macklin Celebrini will live with Joe Thornton, Smith will live with Patrick Marleau. During their contract negotiations, the young center revealed that the Sharks floated the idea of living with one of the two legends. 

"When I was talking about signing, they laid it out there," Smith said. "We didn't really know which one of us was going to live with who. It all worked out, and it's going to be a fun household."

Smith skated with the team today during rookie camp and is looking forward to playing games.

"Going to camp, you want to make the team. I signed [to] come here and help the team win. That's the first thing on the docket," Smith said. 

Smith and Celebrini will be in the lineup on Friday against Utah HC. All rookie faceoff games will be streamed on sjsharks.com.

Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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