Will Smith

William Charles Patrick Smith (born March 17, 2005) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey at Boston College. Smith was drafted fourth overall by the Sharks in the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Early life Smith was born on March 17, 2005, to Bill and Colleen Smith in Lexington, Massachusetts. He has one older sister, Grace, who also attended Boston College. Through his maternal lineage, Smith is the great-great grandson of Charles Comiskey, the founding owner of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). According to Smith's mother, while he played in a variety of sports growing up, he ended his Little League career with a walk-off grand slam.

In Lexington, he was a student at Lexington Public Schools, before attending the Fessenden School, and then Saint Sebastian's School. Smith went on to enroll at Boston College as a Communication Studies major. Rather than living with a billet family, Smith's family moved to Plymouth, Michigan, to support Smith, and he continued living with them.

Playing career

In Smith's first year in the national program, he scored 37 points in 35 games with the under-17 team. In his first draft-eligible year, he centered the under-18 team's first line, scoring over two points per game, and was named MVP of the BioSteel All-American Game.

In the 2023 NHL entry draft, the San Jose Sharks selected him in the first round, fourth overall.

Going into the 2023–24 season, Smith committed to playing college ice hockey for Boston College, continuing to play with NTDP linemates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault. That year, Smith tallied 71 points, setting a Boston College record for most points in a season by an 18-year-old and the most by an Eagle of any age since Johnny Gaudreau during the 2013–14 season. He was named a top 10 candidate for the 2024 Hobey Baker Award, alongside Leonard and future San Jose Sharks teammate Macklin Celebrini, who would win the award.

Smith played his first NHL game on October 10, 2024, which was a 5–4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. He recorded his first two NHL regular season goals in a 3–2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 31. Smith ended his rookie season with 45 points in 74 games, enough to finish fourth in rookie scoring and earn sixth place in Calder Memorial Trophy voting.

Smith was injured during a game in December 2025 against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper body injury and remained out until late January 2026. By mid February 2026, Smith had 17 goals and 22 assists in 42 games, and had scored three goals and three assists during the Sharks' five-game road trip prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics. On April 7, during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks Smith earned his 100th NHL point through a third-period goal, assisted by Collin Graf and Macklin Celebrini.

International play

Smith was named to the 2022 World U18 Championships where he took silver. At the 2023 World U18 Championships, Smith led the tournament in scoring with nine goals and 20 points in seven games and won a gold medal. He was named to the Media All-Star team, and received the IIHF Directorate Award for best forward and the Bob Johnson Award for the 2022-23 season.

On December 16, 2023, Smith was named to the United States junior team to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships.

Smith represented the United States at the 2025 World Championship, where he recorded seven assists in 10 games and helped the United States win their first gold medal since 1933.

Personal life Upon arriving in San Jose, Smith moved in with former San Jose Sharks player Patrick Marleau and his family.

Smith has engaged in different philanthropy initiatives including the NHL's third annual Stanley Pup that combines the NHL and pet adoption and participated in the inaugural Drake Maye's MayeDay Family Foundation Celebrity Softball Classic.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2021–22 U.S. National Development Team USHL 63 31 33 64 28 — — — — — 2022–23 U.S. National Development Team USHL 60 51 76 127 28 — — — — — 2023–24 Boston College HE 41 25 46 71 14 — — — — — 2024–25 San Jose Sharks NHL 74 18 27 45 18 — — — — —2025–26San Jose SharksNHL6924355916—————NHL totals 143 42 62 104 34 — — — — —

International

Awards and honors Award Year RefCollege All-Hockey East First Team2024 Hockey East All-Rookie Team William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player AHCA East First Team All-American NCAA All-Tournament Team 2024 International World U18 Championship Best Forward 2023 World U18 Championship All-Star Team 2023 World U18 Championship MVP 2023