Will Smith | |||
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![]() Smith playing with the San Jose Sharks in March 2025 | |||
Born | Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S. | March 17, 2005||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Center | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team | San Jose Sharks | ||
National team | ![]() | ||
NHL draft | 4th overall, 2023 San Jose Sharks | ||
Playing career | 2024–present |
William Charles Patrick Smith (born March 17, 2005) is an American professional ice hockey center for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college hockey at Boston College. Smith was drafted fourth overall by the Sharks in the 2023 NHL entry draft. [1]
William Charles Patrick Smith was born on March 17, 2005 to Bill and Colleen Smith of Lexington, Massachusetts. He has one older sister, Grace, who has also attended Boston College. [2] In Lexington, he was a student at Lexington Public Schools, before attending the Fessenden School, and then Saint Sebastian's School. [3]
Smith started skating at four years old. [3] He played three years of junior hockey with the Boston Jr. Eagles before joining the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). [4]
Unlike many players recruited by the NTDP, Smith did not live with a billet family, as his parents and sister moved with him to the program's location in Plymouth, Michigan to support his career. [3]
While at Boston College, he was enrolled as a Communication Studies major. [2]
Smith has named fellow Americans Patrick Kane and Auston Matthews as his favorite hockey players. [4] [5]
In Smith's first year in the national program, he scored 37 points in 35 games with the under-17 team. In his first draft-eligible year, he centered the under-18 team's first line, scoring over two points per game, and was named MVP of the BioSteel All-American Game. [6]
Smith committed to playing college hockey for Northeastern University, but eventually changed his mind and matriculated at Boston College. [3] He was named a top ten candidate for the Hobey Baker Award in 2024, alongside fellow BC Eagle Ryan Leonard and future San Jose Sharks teammate Macklin Celebrini. [7]
In the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the San Jose Sharks selected him in the first round, fourth overall. [1] Smith signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks on May 28, 2024. [8]
Smith played his first NHL game on October 10, 2024 in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. [9] He recorded his first two NHL regular season goals in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 31, 2024. [10]
![]() Smith playing for the United States in an exhibition match ahead of the 2025 IIHF World Championship | ||
Medal record | ||
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Representing ![]() | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World Championships | ||
![]() | 2025 Sweden/Denmark | |
World Junior Championships | ||
![]() | 2024 Sweden | |
World U18 Championships | ||
![]() | 2023 Switzerland | |
![]() | 2022 Germany |
At the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships, Smith led the tournament in scoring with nine goals and 20 points in seven games and won a gold medal. [11]
On December 16, 2023, Smith was named to the United States men's national junior ice hockey team to compete at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. [12]
Smith represented the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded seven assists in ten games and helped Team USA win their first gold medal since 1933. [13]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2021–22 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 36 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2022–23 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 20 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2023–24 | Boston College | HE | 41 | 25 | 46 | 71 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2024–25 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 74 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 74 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | United States | U18 | ![]() | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
2023 | United States | U18 | ![]() | 7 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 2 | |
2024 | United States | WJC | ![]() | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | |
2024 | United States | WC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2025 | United States | WC | ![]() | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 18 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 2 | ||||
Senior totals | 15 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
College | ||
All-Hockey East First Team | 2024 | [14] |
Hockey East All-Rookie Team | [15] | |
William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player | ||
AHCA East First Team All-American | [16] | |
NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2024 | [17] |
International | ||
U18 Best Forward | 2023 | [18] |
U18 All-Star Team | 2023 | [18] |
U18 MVP | 2023 | [18] |