BSH 2023 Community Draft Board, No. 5: Will Smith

It is the wild, wild west when it comes to where Will Smith might land in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The top-ranked American skater has seen his stock steadily rise from the early rankings last summer as more and more scouts got to view him leading the U.S. National Team Development Program with his skill, speed, and general offensive abilities. He has simply made people more aware of what he can do on the ice and it has led to him being one of the top prospects available in this increasingly deep draft.

Coming from Lexington, Mass. and playing his junior hockey with the Boston Jr. Eagles until committing to The Program two years ago, Smith is just another product of the northeast state that has found himself in the conversation for one of the top selections, following the likes of Matt Boldy and Matty Beniers.

The 6-foot, right-handed center might just end up being the best player in college hockey next season playing with Cutter Gauthier on the Boston College Eagles, and could be one of the more dynamic players in the draft. While the team that drafts him might end up missing out on the post-Bedard picks like Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli, they should be more than pleased to have Smith fall into their laps. He’s no consolation prize.

Pre-Draft Rankings

No. 3 (North American skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 3 by TSN/Bob McKenzie
No. 9 by EliteProspects
No. 5 by The Athletic/Corey Pronman
No. 6 by FCHockey

Statistics

Will Smith exploded this season. After averaging just slightly under a point per game during his age-17 season for the NTDP Under-18 team in 2021-22 – with less of an opportunity, given 2022 first-rounders like Gauthier, Frank Nazar, Isaac Howard, Logan Cooley, etc. – he was able to outshine them all with an insane point total. In 60 games, Smith scored 51 goals and 127 points to just be slightly below the team’s leading scorer and fellow 2023 top prospect Gabe Perrault.

To just give some context, here are the other players that have played for that team and scored over 100 points: Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Clayton Keller, Cole Eiserman (2024 top prospect), and Cole Caufield. That’s it. And then you get the other elite players like Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, and Trevor Zegras, who managed to score over 90 points in their draft year.

It’s just an insane collection of players to be able to do this and Smith scored more points than all of them. Maybe that’s a lack of competition or bump in the quality of his teammates that made him score over two points a game, but to be able to do that at any point is impressive and worthy of praise.

What’s there to like?

A whole lot. We’ve already gone over just what Smith can do on the ice using words, but maybe it is best to just see the electric center cause some havoc.

It is just as simple as declaring this dude another highlight hog in the top end of this draft. He can do a heck of a lot with the puck, moves well to cover his bases defensively, and has the scoring touch to make some damage in his future.

It just seems like no play is fully dead when Smith is involved and it is so incredibly fun to watch. Just nothing really deep. A very good and exciting hockey player.

What’s not to like?

There is nothing that is too glaring of a hole in Smith’s game. He does everything well enough to be considered among the top prospects in the draft, but maybe it’s just that there isn’t one key aspect that will make him stand out from the rest.

If you’re looking for size and skill, Leo Carlsson is there. A wicked shot and just being the god of everything, Connor Bedard. Matvei Michkov has his elite awareness and ability to make the zone his own. Smith, just is very good and maybe that might not be good enough to carve out a top-line role that you want the player to be from your top-5 selection.

Either way, he should make the NHL but might not have the same ceiling as his peers. A safer pick, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?

Very well. The Flyers just need more top-end talent and Smith is exactly that. Pairing two Boston Eagles together with Gauthier and Smith would be some tremendous sort of way to start the rebuild and would give that potential offensive punch that teams need to be successful.

Can the Flyers actually get him?

With the way he’s getting hyped up, absolutely not. Corey Pronman recently did a mock draft that had him going third overall, above Michkov and Carlsson. Even if a team doesn’t want to forego those two guys, he will absolutely get nabbed with the fifth or sixth pick – unless some team really wants a defenseman.

What scouts are saying

Smith is a versatile centerman with a high offensive floor and plays a reliable two-way game. Many scouts believe he’ll be valuable as a middle-six forward that can hold his own physically and set players up on the rush while putting up 20-plus goals consistently. And they especially love how he thinks the game. “There aren’t many prospects that can get the most out of their linemates like Smith,” a scout said. “It doesn’t matter who he plays with. He’s smart enough to hold on to the puck for just the right amount of time needed and knows when he needs to be selfish and do it all himself.” It doesn’t take many viewings to know he’s deceptive and handles the puck well on the rush. Smith drives a lot of the play on his line and his confidence to make quick dekes is sky-high. Nothing specifically makes Smith stand out compared to someone such as Bedard or Matvei Michkov. Smith isn’t the most skilled player out there, and he isn’t going to blow you away speed-wise. But there are very few weaknesses in Smith’s game, and he can play just about any role needed quite reliably. – Steven Ellis, DailyFaceoff

Smith is a dynamic offensive player who stands out every game with his talent. He has tremendous puck skills, vision and overall offensive creativity and projects to be a major asset on an NHL power play. He skates well and makes so many high-difficulty plays at a strong pace, which lends well to his pro projection. Smith is a high-end passer who is also able to finish chances from the dots. The only real wart in his game is I wouldn’t call him an overly physical or high-energy player. I don’t think he lacks effort. He’s around the puck a ton whenever he’s on the ice and even at times killed penalties for the program. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

Will Smith has had lots of incredible performances over the year, but there have also been some mediocre ones. Mixing in a bad game here and there isn’t surprising as he just turned 18 years old. Also, Smith usually follows up a tough performance with a jaw-dropping one. Smith has legitimate star potential and is going to continue his success at Boston College next year where he’ll likely play alongside his NTDP linemates once again. He extends possessions, finds teammates using great deception and can score at a high level in the future. His role at the next level will be determined by his development in areas like his skating stride and his two-way game, but his offensive game has little-to-no holes. He can play physically but is much more reliant on skill because he has elite tools and an excellent feel for the game. – Evan Pace, Dobber Prospects

We’ll make one addition to the poll today. It’s speedy American forward Oliver Moore!

Moore is the best skater in the draft. He has very good speed and his edgework is NHL-elite caliber. He evades pressure so well and is able to go from a stop to a fast gear very quickly. He has very good hands to go with those feet and projects to get a ton of controlled zone entries in the NHL. I don’t think his pure offensive touch as a scorer or playmaker will ever dazzle, and he’ll be more of a secondary scorer on an NHL line. – The Athletic, Corey Pronman

Who should be No. 6 on the 2023 Community Draft Board?

Previously on the 2023 Community Draft Board…

1. Connor Bedard
2. Adam Fantilli
3. Matvei Michkov
4. Leo Carlsson
5. Will Smith
6. …