Sharks rookie Smith finds rhythm after early NHL growing pains originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Another game, another remarkable performance for a teenage Sharks phenom.
While Macklin Celebrini has taken the NHL world by storm, fellow rookie center Will Smith has quietly shined during an impressive run of form, recording seven points in his last four games.
This includes yet another objective in Sharks’ 4-2 victory against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena, finishing off an incredible saucer pass from teammate Mikael Granlund to put the puck past goaltender Joey Daccord, giving San Jose a 4-0 lead.
It was Smith’s fifth goal of his rookie season, with an added level of significance as the 19-year-old made back-to-back appearances for the first time in his NHL career, recording three points in just over 24 hours as San Jose eliminated Seattle twice. so many days.
After early growing painsSmith is hitting his stride and looks every bit the dynamic talent Sharks general manager Mike Grier envisioned when selecting the talented youngster No. 4 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Smith only scored two points in his first 10 games, but since then he has been on a tear, recording 9 points in his last 11 appearances, proving not only that he belongs at this level, but that he has also the assets to make a difference in the NHL for years to come.
The rookie’s impressive play couldn’t have come at a better time, as a fellow rookie and member of the 2023 draft class. Matvei Mishkov – which San Jose passed on to Smith – lit up the NHL in his first season.
Instead of wondering what could have been, Sharks fans are preoccupied with the idea of what could be, as Smith and Celebrini seem like the kind of one-two punch around which a juggernaut can be built.
The off-ice chemistry between the two young stars was evident, but what Celebrini and Smith accomplish on the ice has made the Sharks one of the teams to watch in the league in a very short time. It’s a far cry from the team San Jose fielded just a season ago, before the infusion of youthful exuberance and talented skaters.
There is an energy in these sharks right now that hasn’t been present in San Jose in over half a decade. They’re exciting, they’re talented, and most importantly, they’re just getting started.
