Will Smith is having a terrific second season in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks, but the most important games of his career are right now.
Smith, 20, has 17 goals and 22 assists in 42 games. After dealing with a shoulder injury, the Sharks winger finished the final games before the Olympic break strongly. Smith scored six points (three goals, three assists) during the San Jose Sharks’ five-game road trip before the break.
With the break over, Smith talked to reporters about what he did and his goals for the rest of the season.
“It was good. I thought about watching [the Super Bowl] here and going to the game, but I ended up just going back to Boston,” Smith said. “Watching with my buddies and my family, so just spent some time there.”
The Sharks winger wasn’t asked about the 2026 Beanpot tournament, but likely celebrated as his Boston College Eagles defeated Macklin Celebrini’s Boston University 6-2. Smith told reporters he used the time to reset his mind and continue working on getting stronger.
“You just want to get off to a good start as a team, and [for] myself just make sure you’re ready to go [for the] first game against Calgary. The standings are really tight right now, so we know we need to be good,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of goals I have for myself. Getting stronger. Getting faster, and I think that’s going to come. Still about to be 21, but still get bigger and still add some weight.”
Smith agreed with his head coach, stating that the Olympic break came at a good time for the San Jose Sharks. However, Smith said the itch of wanting to get back to playing has been growing as the first day of practice got closer.
“Towards the end, you want to kind of get back with the guys and start playing again,” Smith said. “It’s good to be back, and we’re excited to get going again.”
The Sharks started their final road trip strong with a big 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. They would blow a 3-0 lead to the Edmonton Oilers in their next game, and that appeared to really stop any momentum Team Teal had.
“If you look at those games, I’m not sure how many of them we were leading in, but start off that Edmonton game up 3-0, and then that kind of starts that losing skid,” Smith said. “I think when we come out hot, or if we don’t come out hot, we’ve got to respond and make sure you’re playing full 60 minutes instead of maybe 20 or 40.”
Smith and the San Jose Sharks have a favorable home stretch out of the break, with six straight at home. This upcoming homestand will lead right into the NHL trade deadline on March 6, and the results of each game will determine whether the Sharks are buyers or sellers.
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