Smith sets sights on 2023 NHL Draft, freshman year at Boston College

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be July 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at center William Smith of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

William Smith looks forward to fulfilling one wish in the NCAA ranks prior to living out the ultimate dream of playing in the NHL someday.

The native of Boston, Massachusetts, wants a chance to play in the Beanpot, the annual ice hockey tournament that consists of the four major U.S. college hockey teams from his hometown state: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern.

Smith, a center with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team, will be the 14th person from his family to attend Boston College in 2023-24. That list includes his father, grandfather, several cousins and, currently, his sister, Grace.

His excitement just ramps up when the topic shifts to the Beanpot.

"That's one of the biggest driving factors of every Boston kid's dream ... going to one of those four (Boston-area) schools and playing that tournament," Smith said. "I remember going to those games on a school night back with my dad and he'd be like, 'Oh, you got to get home, you got school tomorrow,' and I was like, 'No, I got to go to that game.'

"I love being at sold out TD Garden. The place is rowdy with so many fans and students of each school cheering on the teams."

Smith, who was one of four 2023 NHL Draft-eligible prospects invited to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers in Las Vegas, also is looking forward to the day he can suit up for an NHL team.

"I watched (Golden Knights forward) Jack Eichel in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so watching him and how he does things is pretty cool," Smith said. "I thought he was so smooth going into the neutral zone, his zone entries were unreal.

"Something I want to work on in college that NHL players have is the one-timer. If you can perfect that and get that going, you can score even more goals and have more chances."

Smith scored plenty at the NTDP this season, centering one of the most productive forward lines in junior hockey, with left wing Gabriel Perreault and right wing Ryan Leonard.

"We wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to stay together, and we did," Smith said. "Honestly, we added our own little thing to the line which helped us click."

RELATED: [Video: NHL Draft: Best of Will Smith]

Smith (6-foot, 180 pounds), Video: NHL Draft: Best of Will Smith presented by BioSteel, finished second on the NTDP with 127 points (51 goals, 76 assists) in 60 games this season. Perreault, No. 10 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, led the team with 132 points (53 goals, 79 assists) in 63 games.

"You very rarely see an off game from Smith," Central Scouting director David Gregory said. "I love the fact he plays with his head up and is always moving so he knows he can handle the puck at full speed. He's looking for opportunities and that's what makes him such an elite player."

Leonard, No. 5 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, finished third on the team with 94 points (51 goals, 43 assists) in 57 games.

The Perreault-Smith-Leonard line could remain intact next season since each, along with three other NTDP players, will all be attending Boston College. Forward William Vote, and defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian are the others.

"There may have been a little recruiting with each other, but it worked out," Smith said with a grin. "It's going to be crazy. We can't wait to get on campus to get it started."

Smith's biggest highlight this season was at the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, when he led the United States with nine goals and 20 points in seven games to help the U.S. win the gold medal. He was named the tournament's top forward and most valuable player after matching Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) for most points by a U.S.-born player in a U-18 Worlds tournament (2019).

"The U-18's is what we gear up for and work for and our line knew we had to step up in that tournament and perform," Smith said. "I think we did and that's what helped us win the gold medal. Winning the MVP was cool but winning the gold medal was what really mattered."

It was Smith's second MVP trophy this season. Smith scored two goals and had an assist and was named MVP of the 2023 USA Hockey BioSteel All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, on Jan. 16.

"It's been great to see just the work that he's put in here since day one," NTDP U-18 coach Dan Muse said. "Just the drive that he has to really keep working towards the best version of himself. He's a player that has this huge ceiling and he's really exciting to work with because he's very coachable. He really wants to find ways to keep taking steps in his game."

To that end, Smith had 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 22 games against NCAA competition this season.

"The offense has always been there, but he's continued to evolve and grow his offensive game just like the other parts," Muse said. "I thought his play away from the puck was really good. I thought he and Perreault, that whole line, played really well away from the puck."

Photo credits: Rena Laverty, NTDP

Listen: Video: NHL Draft: Best of Will Smith