SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Will Smith had a huge smile on his face after scoring his first NHL goal in the first period on Thursday, lighting up the jumbotron as the San Jose crowd roared its approval.
“It's about time," Smith said to the crowd after the game.
Smith, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, has gotten less fanfare than Macklin Celebrini. But Smith, 19, is perhaps as equally important to the franchise’s future.
On opening night, Smith centered the second line behind Celebrini. He watched as 18-year-old Celebrini, the top pick in this year’s draft, scored his first goal within minutes. Twenty days later, Smith had yet to record a point, appearing in eight of 11 games. He entered Thursday with just 11 total shots on the season, a plus-minus of minus-4 and seemed to struggle to adapt to NHL speed.
But even as Smith struggled, the Sharks have kept believing in him. General Manager Mike Grier said he believed Smith would relax once he got on the scoreboard. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said there was frustration, but no panic.
“It’s probably the heaviest weight he’s ever had in his life on his shoulders,” Warsofsky said.
His skillset was obvious in the Sharks' 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, their third win in a row. In the first period, he took a cross-ice pass from Luke Kunin and snapped a quick wrister over the right shoulder of Chicago goaltender Petr Mrazek before Mrazek could even react.
“Before the season, I said there would be ups and downs,” Smith said. “It started early, but I was getting chances, so it had to go in eventually.”
In the second, Smith gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead on the power play, firing another wrist shot past Mrazek that clanged off the crossbar and in.
“I think you knew it was a matter of a time when you have a guy that’s that skilled and dynamic, and unfortunately, it was against us tonight,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said.
Smith, a Boston College product, led the NCAA in scoring last season with 71 points and 46 assists before joining Celebrini as a much-hyped duo as the Sharks look to respond from a league-worst record last season. The Massachusetts native became the youngest Sharks player to score multiple goals in a game since Patrick Marleau in 1999.
Smith has not lacked confidence despite the early season struggles, even calling his first goal on the Sharks’ radio network before the game.
“For him to get rewarded with the two goals, big goals, highlight reel goals ... it’s nice to see, because he’s worked hard to this point,” Warsofsky said. “We’ve pushed him and challenged him to get better in a lot of different areas, and for him to get rewarded is tonight is nice.”
As Celebrini inches closer to returning from a lower-body injury, the Sharks hope that the teenagers can inject some positive momentum into the franchise this season.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Eric He, The Associated Press