Sharks draft pick Smith has ties to GM Grier

NASHVILLE --Will Smith's connection with San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier came full circle when he was selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Wednesday.

The forward prospect attended and played hockey for one season at St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts and is friends with and a former teammate of Grier's son, Jayden. Mike Grier, a former NHL player himself, attended and played hockey at the same preparatory high school and later coached the program a few years before Smith played there.

"It's just all part of the evaluation," Mike Grier said. "I was fortunate enough to watch him play those games against some older prep school kids and excel. But the scouts have been watching him for several years here. He's been a high-profile kid."

Smith has played the past two seasons with the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team and was named most valuable player at the 2023 IIHF U-18 World Championship and BioSteel All-American Game. Smith tied Jack Hughes' U.S. record with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in a single U-18 Worlds tournament to help the United States win gold.

Although Grier never coached Smith, who attended his prep school a few years after Grier coached there, he said he's impressed by Smith's development into an elite prospect and was thrilled when he was available for the Sharks to draft him.

"This year, he just kept getting better and better to the point where he really became a dominant player," Grier said. "The St. Sebs stuff is great personally for me, the school, my son and all his buddies there who know him, but it was just a small piece of it. Will rose to the top."

Smith, who has committed to play at Boston College next season, said he would see Grier at the rink all the time while in prep school and that he and Grier, who played hockey at Boston University, now have a friendly rivalry based on his college choice.

In fact, Grier made a BC-BU reference when Smith walked onto the draft stage at Bridgestone Arena.

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"I'm not even sure he's going to BC," Grier said with a laugh. "Last I heard, he's on the way down [Commonwealth] Ave."

Smith and Grier have now joined forces with the rebuilding Sharks, who have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past four seasons. Smith said he has vivid memories of watching former Sharks players Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who announced his pick Wednesday, and current ones like centers Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture growing up and is excited to be a part of the turnaround.

"Thornton started in Boston and obviously has a legacy in San Jose," Smith said. "I remember (San Jose's) Stanley Cup Final run (in 2016) and everything like that. Getting to meet [Hertl and Couture] will be pretty cool and to learn from them will be unbelievable too. I can't wait to just get to be with the staff and talk about the future."