Thompson, Smith Break Down Sharks Defenseman’s 1st NHL Goal

Will Smith was impressed by Jack Thompson’s…celly.

“He had a good celebration,” Smith laughed, when asked about Thompson’s first NHL goal, off his pass.

First NHL goal for Jack Thompson! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/H1aDo8ywP4

— NHL (@NHL) November 6, 2024

The San Jose Sharks would pull out a 2-1 OT victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, so it was a meaningful goal.

“You only score one first one, might as well get down there and celebrate a little bit,” Thompson said. “It’s nice to score in a game that’s close, tied at that point at home. It was exciting, obviously, it’s what you dream about when you’re a kid, to score in the NHL.”

Thompson reported that Barclay Goodrow retrieved the first goal puck, and it’s currently being framed, likely for his mother.

For Smith, it was his first career NHL assist, hopefully the first of many for the San Jose Sharks’ 2023 fourth-overall pick.

It was a quietly spectacular one, as Smith looked off Thompson, freezing goalie Elvis Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets’ defense.

“That’s a huge part of my game, deception,” Smith said.

“There was no doubt in my mind that we were gonna see the prime Will Smith out here some time,” Macklin Celebrini said, about Smith snapping the pointless start to his NHL career with two goals and one assist in his last three games.

“I wish I could tell you I haven’t seen that pass before, but I have so many times,” Celebrini laughed, about his former rival and now San Jose Sharks teammate. “Those are the plays he can make. Such an elite player. Elite hockey sense. And it was only a matter of time.”

“Like I said, it’s eventually gonna come,” Smith said, consigning his first eight pointless NHL games to the past.

And now it’s here.

“He’s got great vision and is a great passer,” Thompson said. “When I saw he had the puck coming down, I just tried to find an open lane, and I knew he would get it to me.”