The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) announced today that forward Will Smith has been selected as the "Sharks Prospect of the Year” presented by Kaiser Permanente for the 2023-24 season by Sharks hockey management and staff. The award is presented to the player who contributes the greatest amount of success to his club and is a part of the Sharks system, not having played an NHL game.
Smith is the fourth winner of the award, joining Ethan Cardwell (2022-23), Brandon Coe (2021-22) and Thomas Bordeleau (2020-21).
Smith, 19, enjoyed a stellar freshman season with national runner-up Boston College, leading the nation in scoring with 71 points and pacing the NCAA with 46 assists. His 25 goals tied for sixth-most in the country, third among U-19 skaters. Named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, Smith registered points in 16 of the final 17 regular season games, tallying 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in that span. He went on to earn Hockey East Tournament MVP honors after posting 10 points in three games at the tournament with nine coming in the final two contests, capped by a five-point, four-goal effort in the championship game against Boston University and earned a spot on the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team after posting a pair of goals in the national semifinal against Michigan.
Smith’s scoring total matched Jack Eichel (71 points, 2014-15) for most by a U-19 NCAA skater since the 1993-94 season. He was named a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, has set Boston College’s freshman scoring record and was selected as Sharks Prospect of the Week four times during the 2023-24 season, most among all San Jose prospects.
Internationally, Smith helped lead the United States to a Gold Medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship. He registered points in each of the final six games of the tournament and finished with a pair of assists in the Gold Medal Game against Sweden. Smith tied for fourth on Team USA in scoring with nine points and was fifth on the club with five goals.
The six-foot, 181-pound native of Lexington, Massachusetts was selected by San Jose in the 2023 NHL Draft (first round, fourth overall).
