SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday that they’ve signed center Will Smith, the team’s top pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Smith, 19, turns pro after an outstanding freshman season at Boston College, as he led all NCAA Division I players with 71 points, including 46 assists, in 41 games.
Smith and the Eagles won the Hockey East regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA Division I title game in April. After the end of the Sharks’ season, general manager Mike Grier said that he felt Smith was ready to play in the NHL.
“He’s got the brain, he’s got the talent, he’s already maturing physically,” Grier said, “and so from my standpoint, I think he can play in the league.”
The Sharks selected Smith with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, and he immediately became the team’s top prospect.
During the 2022-2023 season, Smith played in 60 games for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team and had 127 points, second-most on the NTDP’s all-time single-season points list.
Now under contract, Smith is part of a new generation of players that includes fellow forwards Quentin Musty, Collin Graf, Filip Bystedt, Kasper Halttunen and defensemen Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin, among others.
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