San Jose Sharks 2023 No. 4 overall pick Will Smith scored his first two career NHL goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
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Smith took a pass from Luke Kunin on his backhand and quickly fired a wrist shot over Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek.
“Mom and Dad,” Smith said about who he would give his first goal puck to.
Smith can keep at least one puck for himself as he fired a terrific shot that went bar-down in the second period. His second goal was also the Sharks’ game-winning goal.
“It feels really good,” Smith said. “I mean, I’ve been waiting for it, so it is good to see it go in.”
Even Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson knew it was a matter of time until Smith scored in the NHL.
“His first goal was really nice,” Richardson said. “[He] got it off his stick real quick and lots of velocity on it. I think he knew it was a matter of time when you have a guy that’s that skilled and dynamic, and unfortunately, it was against us tonight.”
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky was thrilled for the center but did keep the coaching hat on and said there are still things Smith needs to work on.
“We’ve watched him his whole life. He can do that. We saw him have growth through his games,” Warsfofsky said. “There are some things he needs to do better tonight without the puck, but for him to get rewarded with the two goals, big goals, highlight reel goals, really the way they’ve scored, it’s nice to see because he’s worked hard to this point.”
Smith also called his shot before the game to Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky.
Will Smith says he called his shot because he just had a feeling that tonight was the night
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 1, 2024
San Jose had a winning streak of three games once last season. They have a chance to make it a four-game winning streak on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
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