He won’t be eligible to be drafted into the NHL for another 17 months, but the buzz on Will Smith already is building.
The highly talented center from Lexington, Mass., left the Bay State to join the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-17 squad for the 2021-22 season. After years of being a local standout with the Boston Junior Eagles minor hockey programs and more recently at St. Sebastian’s School, he’s now showcasing his impressive ability and a high long-term pro ceiling with not much of an adjustment period with Team USA.
“Will is doing a great job. He’s definitely an impressive young man,” U-17 head coach Dan Muse (Canton, Mass.) told New England Hockey Journal. “He’s got good character. He’s a guy who I think can get along with just about anyone in terms of his peers, the coaches and anyone he interacts with on a day-to-day basis. He’s really enjoyable to work with.”
At 6-foot, 172 pounds, the 16-year-old already possesses enough size, with some more room to grow a bit and fill out. He’s a strong skater with the puck skills and natural offensive instincts/vision to make plays regularly. Smith always has been one of the more productive players in the 2005 birth year and a known commodity in New England. Now, he’s taking his act to national and international stages while living up to the expectations that surround him.
“I think I’m a smooth offensive forward,” Smith said. “I can also play two ways, and I think I make everyone on the ice around me better, and I like to make plays. I want to be more of an all-around player and do the little things that matter, like stopping on pucks and things like that, the things that might not end up on the scoresheet, but help.”
He originally made a verbal commitment to Northeastern University in April 2019. However, things began to shift for the fledgling power forward in November 2021 when word got out that he was no longer committed to the Huskies. Given familial ties to Boston College, it seemed clear that his availability for new recruitment pitches was a mere formality. Before the end of the month, he made it official by announcing his intention to play for Jerry York (Watertown, Mass.) at Chestnut Hill.
Until he gets there, he’ll continue to build on the success he had with the Junior Eagles and one year at St. Sebastian’s, disrupted by the COVID pandemic.
“He has a unique skill-set,” Muse said. “A lot of guys who come into the (NTDP) are coming in from teams where they’ve had success and they’ve been able to do really well there at other levels prior to coming into the program, and that’s a big part of what gets them here. But we really see progress with him as we’ve gone through this year, and he’s continuing to push himself on a daily basis and take strides on the ice, in the weight room and with everything he’s been doing. We’re happy with the progress we’ve seen, and I have a lot of belief that he’ll keep pushing himself forward in this next year to year-and-a-half while he’s with us.”
Considered a lock for the national program long before he appeared at the selection camp in Plymouth, Mich., last spring, Smith possesses a lot of the attributes that make players successful at the highest levels. His skating and hands draw attention to him immediately on the ice, but he’s picked up on the little things that players who often are the top talents among their peers are slower to put into their toolbox. Playing at the NTDP means more structure than he was used to at lower levels, with a lot more time dedicated to practices and repetition. There is a great deal of off-ice work as well: weight training and conditioning, film study, team-building exercises and all of that while balancing the requirements to complete high school.
“I think when most people say it’s the best place to develop, they’re not lying,” said Smith. “We do everything every day. We work out, the shooting room here, we practice every day. We have an unbelievable staff who is here for us and helps us with anything we need.”
Smith’s pure talent has put him on the fast track at the NTDP. Like many of the top players before him, he’s already earned some time playing with the Under-18 team, predominantly made up of the 2004 birth-year guys, most of whom are eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. With 15 goals and 30 points in 33 games split between the two USA teams, he has been one of the most impactful members of the 2005-born group. His natural penchant to think the game at a high level and translate his skills to make an immediate impact has not gone unnoticed by NHL teams already.
“He’s looked great this year when he’s played up with the U-18s, even against college competition,” said an experienced NHL crossover scout recently. “He looks like a natural goal scorer with great timing to scoring areas, and he can snipe. He processes the play so quick and has such good hands; he can make NHL-level plays, too. He just needs to get stronger and faster, but should be a first-round pick next year.”
The newest national team star is following in the footsteps of Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.), who was a top NTDP player before the University of Michigan and went second overall in the 2021 draft to Seattle. Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) who is the youngest freshman in the country at Northeastern, is another local star who spent two years with Team USA and likely will land somewhere in the 2022 draft’s first round in July. Like that pair before him, Smith is having to take on different roles and responsibilities on Team USA, but that should set him up for the same kind of success at the next level.
“He’s more used to playing center, but some nights, he’s playing wing,” Muse said. “It’s good for him, and I think he sees the benefits of that as well. I think he’s working to get out of his comfort and he’s worked to develop his game and build in the habits and details that he’s going to need to have success at the higher levels.”
One of the bigger challenges for the first-year Team USA players is getting used to moving to Michigan and developing the important chemistry with the very best in the peer group from around the country. These players live, practice and compete together for two years, building toward the chance to play for a gold medal at the World Under-18 Championship in April of their second year.
Smith is not lacking for familiar faces that have helped him to find his comfort zone right off the bat. Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) are not only USA teammates who have played with and against him coming up the ranks in Massachusetts minor hockey, but both are also committed to Boston College. That trio, along with USA defenders Aram Minnetian and Drew Fortescue, comprises a formidable ’05 recruiting class for the Eagles.
“I think we were super excited to get here,” Smith said. “It’s obviously tough moving away from home and the friends you grew up with, but this is where we all want to be. Being with (Vote and Leonard) in the same house was also helpful with them being two of my buddies from back home, too. That helped out with the transition.”
The early returns have been promising, and all signs point in the direction of yet another top NHL prospect coming out of Massachusetts with Smith. He still has plenty of time and work to do, but he’s been an early bloomer who is backing up the initial promise with performance and production against top competition. With the strongest of foundations and a projectable high pro hockey ceiling, Smith will have to be prepared to raise the bar a year from now. However, until then, he’s adding to the growing hype surrounding the quality and depth of the 2023 NHL draft class.
“Coming in, the USHL is obviously a tough league to play in,” said Smith. “There are a lot of top guys in the United States and all over. It’s obviously a little bit tougher, a bunch of 16-year-olds at the beginning, but Coach Muse has been great with us and really honing down our games, helping me to be a two-way forward, and making sure we’re all developing the right way.”
Scouting report
Physical attributes: While not as tall as other power forwards, he’s already pretty thick through the torso and not finished growing yet. He will probably be about 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds when he reaches his maturation peak, so there is a lot of intriguing development ahead. As he adds mass to his frame and develops his functional strength, he’ll be even tougher to defend all over the ice.
Skills assessment: Very good skater with quick acceleration and good east-west agility. He can add a little more separation speed as he adds power to his lower body and lengthens out his stride, but he gets around the ice sheet well and has a good burst to small areas. Hands are superb. He can carry pucks by defenders and beat them one-on-one, or has the presence of mind to chip pucks off the walls and force defenders to backpedal and chase. He’s got a blurry-fast release; the puck comes off his stick in an instant, giving goalies very little time to prepare and react.
Intangibles: Top instincts and hockey sense in all facets. Sees the ice and innately understands where the puck will be, arriving ahead of time to consistently make plays. Dedicating himself to improving his habits and becoming a student of the game who should be ready to make an immediate impact at BC in 2023.
Overall assessment: Already has the look and feel of a top NHL prospect, especially given how quickly he adapted to the NTDP schedule and is already playing effective games with the U-18 team. With Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov already heating up as potential generational talents in a race to the top for the 2023 NHL draft, Smith has a chance to make some noise in his own quest to take the first major steps of a future pro career. So far, so good — he’s on track to be an A-rated player and could land inside the top 10 if he continues on his current trajectory.
