Speculation: Player Discussion: Will Smith

[Jargon]

RE: the bold: jeez, I sure hope so.

I do think that he has shades of Jumbo in play style. The issue is, he's not 6'4" 230. Jumbo made a living out of winning board battles, using his big body to shield the puck, and finding incisive cross-ice or dangerous net front passes. Smith can't play that game even if he has the vision and the passing ability, because he's getting buried in the corner or stripped of the puck at the hash marks.

He's gotta develop the NHL speed and timing to be in the play as @Boy Hedican was describing... he has a sense of jumping into the play on turnovers or rushes, but not yet in less space or in regular 5v5 OZ play. That will come in time and is probably the hardest thing to learn, other than NZ/DZ positioning and defense, which he's trying at but still getting a sense for and may take years.

I still disagree we should consider AHL for him until maybe 20 or 30 games in. He might keep getting just a little better every week, in which case, keep him up and see if he finishes the year strong. If he's still looking the same in Dec/Jan, sure... send him down, but then he's the 1C.

That one play he had where he dangled and was about to shoot and then one of the Chicago guys slid and got in the way of the shot -- I feel like in 2-3 months, he gets that shot off 2 seconds earlier and it's a goal. It's things like that, just doing everything a little faster. But yeah, I think it's a good sign that he's getting a bit better every game and think we should absolutely give him at least 20-30 games.

 

[Friday]

That one play he had where he dangled and was about to shoot and then one of the Chicago guys slid and got in the way of the shot -- I feel like in 2-3 months, he gets that shot off 2 seconds earlier and it's a goal. It's things like that, just doing everything a little faster. But yeah, I think it's a good sign that he's getting a bit better every game and think we should absolutely give him at least 20-30 games.

I liked what he was thinking there though. Hopefully getting caught was his ah ha moment for timing. Just have to get stuff off with more pace

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

I think he needs to stay on the 3rd line with Goodrow but i think give him a winger like Goose or Bordy give him PP time to get a better assessment of where he is actually at, he looked good in Chicago when all he had to to was support the first forward in on the boards.

If you watch his college highlights you never hear just his name when he was scoring points it was always accompanied by Cutter Gauthier so that might suggest he’s not as good as his stats imply, do I think that, no. You can see the talent is there the brain just needs to catch up.

I didn’t have huge expectations for him because I always question players that surge late or during their draft years

 

[coooldude]

If you watch his college highlights you never hear just his name when he was scoring points it was always accompanied by Cutter Gauthier so that might suggest he’s not as good as his stats imply, do I think that, no. You can see the talent is there the brain just needs to catch up.

I'm fine with being skeptical of late risers which Smith was in 2023, but he only played on a line with Cutter at the very end of last season when Perreault was injured, and he was the C on the line and looked excellent. The rest of the season he only played with Cutter on the PP and definitely not all of his points were cutter 1T's. He always looked dangerous on the PP.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

I'm fine with being skeptical of late risers which Smith was in 2023, but he only played on a line with Cutter at the very end of last season when Perreault was injured, and he was the C on the line and looked excellent. The rest of the season he only played with Cutter on the PP and definitely not all of his points were cutter 1T's. He always looked dangerous on the PP.

the point I’m trying to make is that smith has benefited from the excellent line mates to include Leonard. So I’m implying he is wasnt necessarily carrying his line just complimented it

 

[Alaskanice]

the point I’m trying to make is that smith has benefited from the excellent line mates to include Leonard. So I’m implying he is wasnt necessarily carrying his line just complimented it

I have no horse in this race but I think Smith, being a center, has more to do with a line. No question that Leonard and Perrault helped make him thrive.

 

[Sharksrule04]

Smith will be fine, he’s still adapting. People need to remember he starts a little slow at every level. With NCAA he started slowish and by year end was dominant. With WJC he started just ok, and by the elimination rounds was significantly better, even with the Sharks prospect showcase (I know not a great example) he was just ok in 2023, but looked dominant this year. I suspect it will be a slow but solid progression throughout the season and by year end he will not just be putting up more pts, but looking better overall as well. He looked quite a bit better even against Chicago. He may also need some time in the AHL.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

I have no horse in this race but I think Smith, being a center, has more to do with a line. No question that Leonard and Perrault helped make him thrive.

A great center does make a line good, do I think Smith is great? No. He’s good probably comparable to Craig Janey, where as if he’s got superior talent around him like a Brett Hull he’ll put up big numbers but if you put him with comparable talent to himself on the wings he’s going to be just average he’s not raising anyone’s game like a Thornton.

If the Sharks are lucky he will be as good as a prime Damphousse which honestly is perfect for a Stanley cup team.

 

[coooldude]

A great center does make a line good, do I think Smith is great? No. He’s good probably comparable to Craig Janey, where as if he’s got superior talent around him like a Brett Hull he’ll put up big numbers but if you put him with comparable talent to himself on the wings he’s going to be just average he’s not raising anyone’s game like a Thornton.

If the Sharks are lucky he will be as good as a prime Damphousse which honestly is perfect for a Stanley cup team.

All reasonable. If he ends up Craig Janney, then we need another C at the top of the draft. If he ends up Damphousse, we may be alright so long as Celebrini becomes more Toews than Tavares.

 

[Jargon]

I liked what he was thinking there though. Hopefully getting caught was his ah ha moment for timing. Just have to get stuff off with more pace

Same! I thought that he was in that position was excellent and the dangle was slick too. It was such a clear indicator of where he still has to grow. Everything just has to move faster faster faster.

All reasonable. If he ends up Craig Janney, then we need another C at the top of the draft. If he ends up Damphousse, we may be alright so long as Celebrini becomes more Toews than Tavares.

I feel like there’s such a wide spectrum of what Smith can become. On the other hand, barring any injuries, I’m fairly certain Celebrini is going to be Crosby-lite and closer-to-generational than people give him credit for. I think he’s going to be unbelievable in a couple of years.

 

[lawrence]

Better each game. Overall noticeably tougher to get the reaction time up to NHL speed than Celebrini. This most recent game was his best, but he was also 3rd line with Goodrow and Kunin as opposed to the other games where he was 2nd line with Kostin and Zetterlund. He had more ice time and was out the last minutes on 6v5 but wasn't 1st line no. Hasn't had the best offensive wingers so far but it's also clear he's only 19 so needs those big bodies to retrieve and keep the puck.

alright. Thanks for the honest feedback.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

Same! I thought that he was in that position was excellent and the dangle was slick too. It was such a clear indicator of where he still has to grow. Everything just has to move faster faster faster.


I feel like there’s such a wide spectrum of what Smith can become. On the other hand, barring any injuries, I’m fairly certain Celebrini is going to be Crosby-lite and closer-to-generational than people give him credit for. I think he’s going to be unbelievable in a couple of years.

I think Celebrini is going to be a generationally talent, first game with a bum hip he was great he’s crosby 2.0 for sure

 

[weastern bias]

He was invisible tonight, a complete non-factor in the game

 

[Tw1ster]

I think smith is playing a bit carefully and waiting for the puck to come to him quite a bit but I don’t think he’s been bad and I really liked his game in Chicago

Also, I’ve seen several games of Michkov’s this season and besides the power play, he hasn’t been very noticeable at even strength. I’d like to see Smith get some more PP time to see what he can do in that regard.

 

[coooldude]

I didn't get to watch the COL game live, but this is the kind of play I'm happy to see him making. Even if it's not a finish, he's gotta learn how to mix it up in order to win possession and then rely on his vision and skill once he has a spare moment. This is how Eklund has carved a style out... He's slimy and annoying on the boards and especially below the goal line, keeps possession, and then once he has a flash of space he looks for a sneaky pass. Or, he battles hard to make himself an option for a quick shot below the dots. Lastly he's getting better and better at controlled zone entries.

Will might find his first "role" jumping on turnovers to create a scoring chance like he did in game 1 and a few times since, and in this clip.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848162005188055197

 

[CHALUPA]

I didn't get to watch the COL game live, but this is the kind of play I'm happy to see him making. Even if it's not a finish, he's gotta learn how to mix it up in order to win possession and then rely on his vision and skill once he has a spare moment. This is how Eklund has carved a style out... He's slimy and annoying on the boards and especially below the goal line, keeps possession, and then once he has a flash of space he looks for a sneaky pass. Or, he battles hard to make himself an option for a quick shot below the dots. Lastly he's getting better and better at controlled zone entries.

Will might find his first "role" jumping on turnovers to create a scoring chance like he did in game 1 and a few times since, and in this clip.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848162005188055197

I need to rewatch to confirm, but in general Smith felt a lot more decisive reacting when the puck got to him. The ankle breaker was good, but it felt like the game is starting to slow down for him when the puck is on his stick (at least we saw more signs of it in this game).

He’s still like 2 steps behind without the puck, so he doesn’t really give himself chances to inject himself into the play.

 

[hohosaregood]

I've been kind of annoyed when he can't corral hot passes or rimmed pucks. He's had some issues in the college games I watched where he'd have sloppy hands like this. But, he usually has a magnet in his stick. I'm disappointed we haven't seen much of it from him at this level.

 

[jarr92]

I thought discussion of Smith going to the AHL was supposed to be in this thread

Grier said he will be playing a reduced schedule the first half of the season (along with Mack), then most likely a full schedule the second half. All in the NHL. IMO this is the right call.

 

[Barrie22]

I thought discussion of Smith going to the AHL was supposed to be in this thread

Grier said he will be playing a reduced schedule the first half of the season (along with Mack), then most likely a full schedule the second half. All in the NHL. IMO this is the right call.

Can't really reduce Celebrini schedule any more.

 

[weastern bias]

Can't really reduce Celebrini schedule any more.

GMMG:

Bet

 

[Alaskanice]

If Grier knows that these kids are going to learn better at this level, I’m supporting that.

 

[Shark Finn]

I'm glad the actual people in charge don't have any knee-jerk reactions a couple of games into the season (or a career).

 

[Skeksis25]

He's 8-8 in faceoffs in his last 3 games compared to 5-21 in his first 3. Granted, he understandably has had his faceoff opportunities reduced after his bad start there, but he has shown improvement. If he can keep working at it and earning back the trust of the coaching staff, I'm sure he will start to see some more PP time. You can't really put a center on the PP that will lose most of his faceoffs.

I know we all want to see the points from him, but I feel like that will come eventually. He has started making some nice plays and setting guys up that just haven't been finished. I feel as long as he keeps improving little by little in the other aspects of his game, that should earn him more consistent ice time. And once that happens, the points will probably come.

 

[Jargon]

He's 8-8 in faceoffs in his last 3 games compared to 5-21 in his first 3. Granted, he understandably has had his faceoff opportunities reduced after his bad start there, but he has shown improvement. If he can keep working at it and earning back the trust of the coaching staff, I'm sure he will start to see some more PP time. You can't really put a center on the PP that will lose most of his faceoffs.

I know we all want to see the points from him, but I feel like that will come eventually. He has started making some nice plays and setting guys up that just haven't been finished. I feel as long as he keeps improving little by little in the other aspects of his game, that should earn him more consistent ice time. And once that happens, the points will probably come.

Yeah, it really feels like he’s getting 1% better every game. The fact that he’s now getting chances is great - that wasn’t happening in the first few games. He still feels nervous to me, or like he’s overthinking everything. I can almost feel his anxiety when the puck is coming to him on the boards (and then somehow gets by him — BECAUSE he’s overthinking).

One of these games, he’s going to have a Will Smith-kind of breakthrough and I think all of a sudden he’s going to look much better. He just, for his own sake, needs to have a couple of goals go in/some of his passes converted.

 

[one2gamble]

I still think he puts up 30+ points this year