When talking of Will Smith, among the individuals who have watched the Lexington native through the years supply lofty comparisons.
One chief beginner scout preferred him to Patrick Kane. A coach of Smith’s in contrast him to a youthful American star, Jack Hughes.
Whether Smith could make the lengthy trek from being simply “a Patrick Kane-type player” to the subsequent Patrick Kane stays to be seen. But most NHL prognosticators and expertise evaluators consider some staff will wager some precious draft capital that the Boston College-bound ahead will develop into the latter.
Reached final week, Smith’s pleasure degree was beginning to construct.
“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” mentioned Smith. “I’m getting kind of anxious.”
Wherever he will get taken – many consider he’ll go no decrease than No. 4 total to San Jose and Boston-born GM Mike Grier, although Russian ahead Matvei Michkov is a wild card – Smith gained’t have to attend lengthy to listen to his identify at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night time.
Smith has the resume to go together with the pull-fans-out-of-their-seats creativity. After enjoying a yr at St. Sebastian’s in addition to enjoying his native junior hockey within the Boston Jr. Eagles program, he went to the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan and tore it up the final two years.
Playing for the U-18 NTDP staff, he exploded for 51-76-127 totals in 60 video games, including 15-27-42 in 20 video games in USHL play. At the IIHF World U-18 championships in Switzerland, he was named match MVP in Team USA’s gold medal run, tying Hughes’ U.S. document for factors within the tourney with 11th of September-20 in seven video games.
And in response to U-18 assistant coach Chad Kolarik, Smith not solely achieves at a excessive degree, the 6-foot, 172-pound centerman does so with a selected swerve.
“His charisma, his personality makes him special,” mentioned Kolarik. “It’s not a cocky character, but it surely’s the arrogance, that little swagger. He is aware of he’s a going to be a participant on the market within the clutch time. He simply is aware of he can do it and he’s very assured in his ability. That’s what makes him particular.
“I liken him a little bit to Jack Hughes but, yes, he’s a generational talent. He can make something out of nothing at any point in time. He did that multiple times in the Worlds and against college players that are 24 years old (with the NTDP program).”
Said Smith of what he brings: “I think I’m an exciting player to watch. I like to score goals as well as set them up. And I think I’m a pretty good 200-foot player as well.”
Smith didn’t put up his factors in a vacuum. He was one-third of a superb line with the nationwide program that included wings Ryan Leonard of western Mass., who’s the muscle for the road, and Gabe Perreault, the finisher. All three might go within the prime half of the primary spherical. In truth, TSN’s Bob McKenzie has all of them going within the prime 10.
And all three are headed to the Heights later this summer time as a bundle deal, in addition to USNTDP participant Will Vote, who grew up within the hockey-rich city of Arlington, proper subsequent to Smith’s Lexington.
“I’ve been good friends with Will pretty much my whole hockey career,” mentioned Smith. “It’s great that he lives just one town over and I can always just give him a call and we can go work out or whatever.”
Because he has nephews which are in Smith’s age group, BC assistant Brendan Buckley has watched Smith develop through the years. He views him as an entire offensive participant.
“With him, I think it’s the combination of a guy who can take the best play available,” mentioned Buckley. “You hear that some guys are shooters and some guys are pass-first players. I think he’s the guy that makes the best play. So if it’s dishing the puck to a teammate for a Grade A chance, if that’s the best play, he sees and it and he’s looking to do that. If it’s the best play is to go down there and take it yourself and be the shooter, then he’ll do that. I think that’s what makes him so dangerous offensively and such a high-end elite player.”
While velocity is probably not his greatest attribute, Smith is happy with how a lot he’s labored on his skating. Buckley can attest to that.
“That’s gotten better. He’s got some good pop now. And obviously, the skill has always been there,” mentioned Buckley.
Buckley mentioned that no choice with has been made about whether or not to play the road collectively at BC. Head coach Greg Brown and the workers will focus on that within the fall. And for Smith, he’ll “play “wherever the coaches want me to play.”
But getting your entire line to commit was clearly a coup.
“Absolutely,” mentioned Buckley. “As you go out and watch those guys, they pop. It’s hard to miss them and they had great chemistry. They play well together and I think they enjoy each other’s company off the ice, so it was a kind of a natural fit.”
Kolarik, for one, expects to see the trio collectively earlier than too lengthy.
“We tried to break them up a little bit in the middle of the season, but the line was so dominant every time they were on the ice, it just wasn’t a good coaching decision to break them apart,” mentioned Kolarik. “We had to keep them together. It just clicked. The chemistry is there, and I’m sure coach Brown at Boston College isn’t going to break those guys up any time soon.”
As for Smith’s future, there was some debate over the place the right-shot ahead future lies, at heart or on the wing. Mike Doneghey, director of beginner scouting for the Chicago Blackhawks, has seen Smith lots. The ‘Hawks now sit in the catbird’s sit with the No. 1 choose and the correct to draft Connor Bedard, the perfect prospect since Connor McDavid. Doneghy’s scouted all the prime gamers, not realizing the place the Hawks can be selecting till they gained the lottery in April. He made the Kane comparability to Smith. He sees Smith making the transfer to wing in some unspecified time in the future, with the concept that the duties of a centerman down low would take away from from what he can do on the different finish.
Smith is probably not a pure 200-foot participant, however he might not need to be to make his affect.
“He cheats a bit, but it benefits him a little,” mentioned Doneghey. “There were a couple of plays that come to mind where Ryan Leonard was the first guy back in the defensive, makes a great defensive play, gets it over to Perreault, who sends it up to Will Smith, who as the last guy back ends up getting a breakaway the other way. Almost like you’ve seen Patrick Kane for a lot of years, be lazy coming back into the zone and then all of a sudden he’s got a scoring chance going the other way. Just like that. But Smith’s a magician with the puck — his puck patience, his shot, his passing ability. He has the ability to be an all-world player because of all those attributes.”
While Kolarik concedes that Smith might cheat just a little bit, that’s what all nice offensive gamers do. And he believes Smith’s smarts will permit him to play the center.
“In the NHL, I think there’s going to be some growing pains at center But that’s with every center,” mentioned Kolarik. “If you look at Jack Hughes’ first couple of years, it’s not bad, it’s just wasn’t elite like it is now, with 100 points. I think eventually he will be a center. He’s just so smart when he’s moving without the puck to generate that speed.”
But there may be settlement that whoever will get Smith will probably be getting a particular expertise. This yr’s draft is believed to be extraordinarily deep, properly past Bedard. Doneghey believes that, in one other draft yr, Smith might properly have been the highest choose total.
“He’s got those attributes,” mentioned Doneghey. “His skill level, his IQ, he’s a right shot. Though not a burner, he’s a good skater. So he he checks all the right boxes. Though if it wasn’t Bedard this year, I’d still have a hard thinking he’d be ahead of (Adam) Fantilli or (Leo) Carlsson (expected to go at Nos. 2 and 3) as No. 1, but in certain years, he’d warrant No.1 consideration.”
That appears like an excellent deal for whichever staff is fortunate sufficient to land the child from Lexington.
Source: www.bostonherald.com