C Will Smith - Boston College, NCAA (2023, 4th, SJS)

[2014nyr]

i'm curious to see where he goes and what kind of player he ultimately becomes. personally i would have some concerns about using a top 5 pick. for the game he wants to play he wasn't very effective taking guys on 1 on 1, creating his own space, and he lacked the explosiveness you usually need playing that game at that size.

he did see the ice well and he hustles...i thought his effort and urgency really stood out as the clock was winding down against sweden today which is a valuable quality. he's got things to really like too and i don't want to bash the kid by any stretch, he may well become an excellent nhl'er. my takeaway the skating and puck control aren't currently at a level i'd expect to see from a top 5 pick. there may be reasons to project he's likely to develop in those areas and that's fair, i don't know him well enough. my observation is simply that, as of now, i was a little surprised he's considered a top 5 pick all things equal.

i really liked that dman 17 but i didn't catch a name or i'd look for a thread on him - i feel like he is going to make a team very happy. that kid is a gamer, made some high iq plays on both ends, and a very good skater.

 

[Larmer83]

And yet he still feathered the seam pass to Eiserman prior to the GTG. Sweden did a great job keeping that line mostly contained and to the outside but they did have some moments.

The puck deflected off a Swedes stick and Eiserman went from forehand to backhand to receive the puck.

 

[95snipes]

So were Leonard and Moore. But no one ever criticizes them. It’s just wild.

To be clear I'm a Smith fan. I just thought he had a terrible game today is all. It was an opportunity to prove he can still dominate even when the games get tighter and he had a poor showing.

And I have criticized Moore's game plenty.

 

[BB88]

So were Leonard and Moore. But no one ever criticizes them. It’s just wild.

Because some have Smith in top3/4 tier

Being compared to Carlsson& Michkov changes things

Edit,

& especially Moore does get a lot of criticism

 

[Donuts]

whos the closest nhl comparison

 

[Fyodorov]

So were Leonard and Moore. But no one ever criticizes them. It’s just wild.

He certainly does seem to get a disproportionate amount of criticism on this board. 20 points in 7 games, tournament MVP. Tough game against a very good Swedish team today which made Canada look silly two times.

 

[BB88]

He certainly does seem to get a disproportionate amount of criticism on this board. 20 points in 7 games, tournament MVP. Tough game against a very good Swedish team today which made Canada look silly two times.

He wasn’t as dominating as his points would suggest.

I don’t think he put up a single game where he was great for full 60mins

 

[Realgud]

i'm curious to see where he goes and what kind of player he ultimately becomes. personally i would have some concerns about using a top 5 pick. for the game he wants to play he wasn't very effective taking guys on 1 on 1, creating his own space, and he lacked the explosiveness you usually need playing that game at that size.

he did see the ice well and he hustles...i thought his effort and urgency really stood out as the clock was winding down against sweden today which is a valuable quality. he's got things to really like too and i don't want to bash the kid by any stretch, he may well become an excellent nhl'er. my takeaway the skating and puck control aren't currently at a level i'd expect to see from a top 5 pick. there may be reasons to project he's likely to develop in those areas and that's fair, i don't know him well enough. my observation is simply that, as of now, i was a little surprised he's considered a top 5 pick all things equal.

i really liked that dman 17 but i didn't catch a name or i'd look for a thread on him - i feel like he is going to make a team very happy. that kid is a gamer, made some high iq plays on both ends, and a very good skater.

Aram Minnetian

 

[William H Bonney]

He played this Swedish team 3 times this year. Had 2g, 4a in 3 wins. Sweden did a great job against him and his line today but he was just fine proving himself against them this season.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

He wasn’t as dominating as his points would suggest.

I don’t think he put up a single game where he was great for full 60mins

Geez, talk about unreasonable expectations. No prospect can live up to this kind of scrutiny.

 

[BB88]

Geez, talk about unreasonable expectations. No prospect can live up to this kind of scrutiny.

What do you mean?

If he wants to be compared to Carlsson& Michkov he better dominate

For Finland game the 1st 39 or so mins he was very average, the last 21 mins he was lights out.
In the Switzerland game he scored 3 points in the 3rd when the game had been over 2 hours ago.

Not once did I think he belongs in the same conversation with the 2

 

[sigx15]

Aram Minnetian

Minnestian is one of those players who will either be the steal of the draft or never see the NHL. Very toolsy player, just a matter if he puts it all together. He barely played defense before joining the NTDP so he's pretty raw defensively still. Really fun player to watch

 

[HawksDub89]

What do you mean?

If he wants to be compared to Carlsson& Michkov he better dominate

For Finland game the 1st 39 or so mins he was very average, the last 21 mins he was lights out.
In the Switzerland game he scored 3 points in the 3rd when the game had been over 2 hours ago.

Not once did I think he belongs in the same conversation with the 2

You’re f***ing high if you think Carlsson/Michkov/Fantilli are flawless for a full 60 on a consistent basis.

It’s ok if you don’t like him, but ffs you’re making a complete idiot of yourself with some of these takes.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Tough crowd when you get tournament MVP and miss a record by 1 point and people are just picking you apart, lol.

As I said in the GDT, it wasn't his finest performance... and to the other guy, he gets criticized more because he is the highest rated USNDTP player so there's more of a microscope and focus on him that come with higher expectations. That being said, he still contributed with the cross-ice assist on the powerplay for the game-tying goal and he played very well in the tournament previously and overall had an excellent season.

Nobody should feel bad taking this guy at 5, and in most seasons he's a no-brainer top 3 pick.

 

[BB88]

You’re f***ing high if you think Carlsson/Michkov/Fantilli are flawless for a full 60 on a consistent basis.

It’s ok if you don’t like him, but ffs you’re making a complete idiot of yourself with some of these takes.

Where did I say they are that every game?

I bought the tv package just to watch USA play and watched all their games.

He’s a great prospect but he’s not on the top tier of this class

At 5-6-7 be happy as hell to land him, at 3-4? Just no

 

[majormajor]

You’re f***ing high if you think Carlsson/Michkov/Fantilli are flawless for a full 60 on a consistent basis.

It’s ok if you don’t like him, but ffs you’re making a complete idiot of yourself with some of these takes.

Where did I say they are that every game?

I bought the tv package just to watch USA play and watched all their games.

He’s a great prospect but he’s not on the top tier of this class

At 5-6-7 be happy as hell to land him, at 3-4? Just no

There's nothing wrong with talking about Smith's inconsistency, or lack of motor, or lack of defense. It's a perfectly legit subject whether he's being compared to Carlsson at 3 or Moore at 8. It's part of evaluating players that there are positives and there are negatives. People who go at other posters for mentioning negatives need to chill tf out.

 

[Postulates]

Has Carlsson actually dominated once this season?

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Fantilli, Carlsson and Smith play in different leagues, against different levels of competition. Comparing them is more apples/oranges than apples/apples. If I had to choose between them - it would be Fantilli slightly ahead of Carlsson who would be slightly ahead of Smith. I would be happy with any of them.

 

[SlafySZN]

There's nothing wrong with talking about Smith's inconsistency, or lack of motor, or lack of defense. It's a perfectly legit subject whether he's being compared to Carlsson at 3 or Moore at 8. It's part of evaluating players that there are positives and there are negatives. People who go at other posters for mentioning negatives need to chill tf out.

It’s not like Carlsson is more consistent or has the highest motor ever, either.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

There's nothing wrong with talking about Smith's inconsistency, or lack of motor, or lack of defense. It's a perfectly legit subject whether he's being compared to Carlsson at 3 or Moore at 8. It's part of evaluating players that there are positives and there are negatives. People who go at other posters for mentioning negatives need to chill tf out.

That's not what's going on here. What's being lampooned is the over the top critique of Smith.

 

[majormajor]

It’s not like Carlsson is more consistent or has the highest motor ever, either.

I disagree. It's not close when it comes to motor between those two.

 

[JotAlan]

imo, of the likely top 10 (Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, Michkov, Smith, Benson, Reinbacher, Leonard, Dvorsky, Moore), Smith is possibly the biggest risk. However, I believe that after Bedard/Michkov he is the player with the highest ceiling. If he can reach his full potential he will be a 100 point player in the NHL.

 

[DatDude44]

What do you mean?

If he wants to be compared to Carlsson& Michkov he better dominate

For Finland game the 1st 39 or so mins he was very average, the last 21 mins he was lights out.
In the Switzerland game he scored 3 points in the 3rd when the game had been over 2 hours ago.

Not once did I think he belongs in the same conversation with the 2

Kid must have lungs of steel

 

[majormajor]

Kid must have lungs of steel

I think @BB88 is not explaining themselves quite right. Will Smith isn't going to score 3 pts every period or necessarily every game. It's what he does off puck (not much!) that makes him a dicey choice. A player not scoring for 40 minutes wouldn't bear mentioning if that player contributed with some little things along the way.

 

[DatDude44]

I think @BB88 is not explaining themselves quite right. Will Smith isn't going to score 3 pts every period or necessarily every game. It's what he does off puck (not much!) that makes him a dicey choice. A player not scoring for 40 minutes wouldn't bear mentioning if that player contributed with some little things along the way.

I was just being sarcastic, since their verbage implies he’s on the ice for all 60 mins.