Sharks rookie Smith finding groove after early NHL growing pains

Sharks rookie Smith finding groove after early NHL growing pains originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another game, another standout performance for a Sharks teenage phenom.

While Macklin Celebrini has been taking the NHL world by storm, fellow rookie center Will Smith quietly has shined during an impressive run of form, logging seven points in his last four games.

That includes yet another goal in the Sharks’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena, finishing off an incredible saucer pass from teammate Mikael Granlund to slot the puck past goalie Joey Daccord, giving San Jose a commanding 4-0 lead.

It was Smith’s fifth goal of his rookie season, with an extra layer of significance as the 19-year-old made consecutive appearances for the first time in his NHL career, logging three points in just over 24 hours as San Jose dispatched Seattle twice in as many days.

After early growing pains, Smith is hitting his stride and looking every bit the part of the dynamic talent Sharks general manager Mike Grier envisioned when selecting the talented youngster No. 4 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Smith logged just two points in his first 10 games, but since has gone on a tear, recording 9 points in his last 11 appearances, proving that he not only belongs at this level, but has the chops to be a true difference maker in the NHL for years to come.

The rookie’s impressive play couldn’t have come at a better time, as fellow rookie and 2023 draft class member Matvei Michkov — who San Jose passed on to select Smith — lights up the NHL in his first season.

Instead of being left wondering what could’ve been, Sharks fans are preoccupied being entranced with the thought of what could be, as Smith and Celebrini appear to be the kind of one-two punch that a juggernaut can be built around.

The off-ice chemistry between the two young stars eminently was apparent, but what Celebrini and Smith are accomplishing at the rink has turned the Sharks into one of the league’s must-watch teams in a very short span of time. A far cry from the squad San Jose fielded just one season ago before the infusion of youthful exuberance and talented skaters.

There’s an energy about these Sharks right now that hasn’t been present in San Jose for over half a decade. They’re exciting, they’re talented and most importantly — they’re just getting started.

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