2023 NHL Draft prospect Will Smith has everything teams want
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PLYMOUTH, Michigan – There’s something about the intense look Will Smith gives on a penalty shot.
Head tilted down. Eyes fixated on the goaltender. Never breaking focus. Even in a lopsided exhibition game, he knows his role. He knows what’s expected of him. He’s not going to be stopped.
And this past Monday at the Biosteel All-American Game in Plymouth, he wasn’t. Smith scored twice and added an assist to earn MVP honors, joining an elite group that includes Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Boldy, Jake Sanderson and Rugter McGroarty. Given Smith is seen as the best American draft prospect right now, it’s precisely what everyone expected.
If you don’t know what the All-American Game’s about: it features the best USHL and United States National Development Team Program players battling it out in front of hundreds of scouts. So it’s a big deal, just like the CHL’s Top Prospect Game. The USNTDP players typically have an edge, and Smith – the No. 1 center on the USNTDP – stands out after playing up a year for much of 2021-22.
Smith is described as a quiet, smart kid who doesn’t let the pressure get to him. There’s always significant attention on the USNTDP, and Smith has been integral since joining the U-17 squad last year. He even spent time at USA’s World Junior Championship camp in December and should play a big role with the team next year.
But like with most top prospects, having every team’s scouting department zeroing in on him doesn’t phase him.
“I think instead of pressure, it’s more of an opportunity,” Smith said after the game. “You try not to look at the rankings and spend too much time reading the media. You always want to catch the guy ahead of you.”
There’s no real consensus surrounding Smith’s 2023 NHL Draft position, but everyone agrees he’s rising the ranks from early projections. I had him 19th in my initial rankings. Now? He’s trending toward the top five in a tough race.
Smith is a versatile centerman with a high offensive floor and plays a reliable two-way game. Many scouts believe he’ll be valuable as a middle-six forward that can hold his own physically and set players up on the rush while putting up 20-plus goals consistently. And they especially love how he thinks the game.
“There aren’t many prospects that can get the most out of their linemates like Smith,” a scout said. “It doesn’t matter who he plays with. He’s smart enough to hold on to the puck for just the right amount of time needed and knows when he needs to be selfish and do it all himself.”
It doesn’t take many viewings to know he’s deceptive and handles the puck well on the rush. Smith drives a lot of the play on his line and his confidence to make quick dekes is sky-high. Nothing specifically makes Smith stand out compared to someone such as Bedard or Matvei Michkov. Smith isn’t the most skilled player out there, and he isn’t going to blow you away speed-wise. But there are very few weaknesses in Smith’s game, and he can play just about any role needed quite reliably.
Smith isn’t shy when sharing what he wants to improve on, though.
“I think the PK,” Smith said when describing his main weakness. “I want to be out there. You can be a threat even when you’re down 5-on-4. Especially knowing how guys are on the power play, you can read them. You don’t want to get pressured on the power play, so I can still get some offense off of that.”
Putting up solid numbers at the U-17 level is one thing. But the competition ramps up with the U-18 team, especially when dealing with tough NCAA competition. Smith had 59 points in 32 games heading into the showcase, with his last USHL outing being a five-assist night against the Madison Capitols. Smith won’t come near Auston Matthews’ single-season USNTDP record of 117 points, but 75-80 points – somewhere around Logan Cooley’s production last year – is very tangible.
Smith’s chemistry with Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault has been apparent from the get-go. Perreault leads the team in scoring with 64 points, but Smith’s two-way flash puts him at a team-high 1.84 points per game.
“I think we’re all reading off each other very well,” Leonard said. “Last year, it was a bit of a slow season and we didn’t really have these big up and downs as we wanted. But I think, this year for sure, we’re riding the hot hand and clicking. It’s fun.”
“We’re all going to (Boston College) together, so that helps,” Smith said with a laugh. “We all have our little thing that contributes to the line.”
It’s a connection that carries off the ice, too. Smith, Leonard and a few other USNTDP players spent extracurricular significant time together. They play a lot of EASHL together in NHL 23, the competitive online game mode that lets you create your own player, choose a position and then battle other teams offline. Rumor has it they’re pretty good, too.
It’ll be a busy end to the season for Smith and the USNTDP. The U-18 team has a 27-8-0 record and will continue their typical schedule with games against NCAA and USHL teams. They’ll finish off at the U-18 World Hockey Championship in Switzerland in April. With Connor Bedard not expected to go and many other high-level prospects not eligible, Smith could be the player to watch. The Americans are the early favorites to win the U-18s, the last real showcase event before the NHL Draft in June. And by then, Smith could have solidified his spot in the top five.
“I want to keep my production up, and I think I can get it even higher than it is right now,” Smith said about the season moving forward. “Going into worlds after losing last year, we definitely want to come back with gold.”
Many people will remember him for his name and all the memes that can come out of it. But the Fresh Prince of Plymouth is determined to show people why he’ll be an impactful NHLer one day, and there’s no shortage of scouts that know he’s capable of being a big-time player in the not-so-distant future.
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