When the Sharks drafted Will Smith fourth overall in 2023, management knew that it had something special. Smith’s ability to create offense and his hockey vision had all the markings of a potential NHL star. But when the then 18-year-old Smith decided to go to Boston College instead of turn pro like the three men drafted before him in the draft – Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli – fans were understandably disappointed.
However, Smith has now proved to Sharks fans that sometimes patience is the best plan. Smith is racking up the accolades in the NCAA. Last week, he was named one of the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player, and on Saturday night, he was named the 2024 Hockey East Tournament MVP.
⭐️ MVP ⭐️
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) March 24, 2024
With 4 goals and 1 assist in the Championship game, Will Smith is your 2024 Hockey East Tournament MVP! pic.twitter.com/WUxDKJVhfo
2024 Hockey East Tournament MVP
The honor was well earned. Smith turned up in Boston College’s biggest game of the season to date, scoring four goals and adding an assist to help his team to a 6-2 win over Boston University. In the three games Boston College played in the tournament, Smith had 10 points (5 G, 5 A), earning him tournament MVP honors.
Smith’s four-goal night was impressive. He opened the scoring in the game with a first period power play goal and then followed it up with a second power play goal to give Boston College a 2-0 lead after one period of play. Check out the second goal, where Smith just picked a spot and fired.
Will Smith is putting on a show 🦈 pic.twitter.com/FDLDmght2R
— Mike Grinnell (@MikeGrinnell_) March 24, 2024
Smith finished off the hat trick after an impressive individual effort by Ryan Leonard to get him the puck.
Absolutely DISGUSTING assist from Ryan Leonard. Hat trick for Will Smith.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 24, 2024
This @BC_MHockey team is special ✨ pic.twitter.com/pONqmxXXGZ
He capped off the rooster trick with an empty netter.
Remember, Smith and Boston College are ranked number one in the NCAA. The Eagles’ opponent, Boston University, is ranked number two. This was what many would consider best on best. It could be a preview of the NCAA finals and Smith showed up…big time. The Sharks need players who play big in big games and Smith looks like he has that going for him.
Smith closing in on Jack Eichel territory
For Sharks fans who don’t follow college hockey to truly understand how special this freshman season is, check out the things that Smith has done this season. For one thing, he’s set the school record for points by a freshman.
Ken Hodge Jr. spent several seasons bouncing between the NHL, IHL and AHL before retiring in 1997-98. Since then, there have been several NHL stars to work their way through Boston College. Smith’s freshman season has gone better than players Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Guerin, Brian Leetch and Brian Gionta.
In fact, Smith’s season is better than Guerin’s best season. Guerin scored 45 points as a sophomore at Boston College in 1990-91. Smith’s season is closing in on Gaudreau’s best season. Gaudreau scored 80 points in his junior year, earning him the Hobey Baker Award.
The NCAA has also produced some NHL stars who didn’t attend Boston College. Jack Eichel, for example, who Smith appears to be closing in on.
For those of you wondering, in 2015, Eichel won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. Only three players have won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman – Eichel, Paul Kariya and Fantilli.
What’s next for Will Smith?
For Sharks fans wondering what could be next for Smith, he’s taking a different path than Eichel and Fantilli. Both men were drafted following their freshman seasons and turned pro immediately after the draft.
Smith still has a decision to make, though it’s likely his focus isn’t on that at the moment. After all the college hockey season isn’t done yet. There’s still the NCAA tournament to consider and, if BC continues to roll the way it has, the Frozen Four.
Boston College will play Michigan Tech in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The game is on Friday at 11 a.m. PDT. If Boston College wins, it will move on to play the winner of Quinnipiac and Wisconsin on Sunday at 1 p.m. PDT.
Once the tournament is over, I suspect that Smith will have to sit down with General Manager Mike Grier and the rest of the Sharks’ staff to talk about what’s next. This is a personal opinion, but I think the conversation probably hinges on a few things. First, whether or not Boston College wins an NCAA Championship. Winning the entire tournament definitely makes it easier to turn pro since you don’t have any “unfinished business” you’re leaving behind.
Second, what do Smith’s linemates, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, decide to do? Two years ago, Leonard, Perreault and Smith combined to make one of the most potent lines the United States Hockey League (USHL) had ever seen. They continued their work at the collegiate level, creating a potent combination for Boston College. But at some point, the band will break up. Leonard was drafted by the Washington Capitals and Perreault was drafted by the New York Rangers. As of this morning, the Rangers are in the playoffs and the Capitals are in that second wild card spot. Do the teams want their top prospects to join them when the college hockey season ends?
I think that if Leonard or Perreault go pro, Smith will likely follow suit. If only one of them goes pro, then Smith might decide to wait, especially if Boston College fails to win it all. If both Leonard and Perreault stay another season at Boston College, Smith might find himself back on the BC campus next season.
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