Will Smith’s Agent on Relationship With Sharks: “Zero Issues”

Will Smith is happy with his relationship with the San Jose Sharks.

That’s straight from Smith’s agent.

“Zero issues,” Sean Coffey texted San Jose Hockey Now. “Communication has been great from Mike [Grier] and company, as well as with SJ development staff.”

The San Jose Sharks selected Smith with the fourth-overall pick of the 2023 Draft. The Boston College center is currently third among all NCAA freshmen with 41 points in just 27 games.

The relationship between NHL teams and their NCAA draft picks has come into focus recently, with BC star Cutter Gauthier telling the Philadelphia Flyers that he didn’t want to play for them. NCAA draft picks, at the end of their college careers, can opt to become free agents instead of signing with their big league clubs.

So the Flyers instead dealt their 2022 fifth-overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick.

That would be a nightmare, albeit unlikely, scenario for the San Jose Sharks. In most cases, NCAA draft picks sign with the NHL teams that select them.

The probably more pertinent question is whether Smith will turn pro or not after this season. Coffey was coy on that score.

“Right now, Will is focused on staying in the moment and being at his best to help Boston College achieve their goals for this season,” he said. “I’m sure there will be more specific dialogue at the end of the college season to discuss those plans.”

The NCAA season is capped off with a championship tournament, mid-April’s Frozen Four. BC is one of the favorites.

“That’s a conversation I’ll have with Will and his agent, Joe [Will] and Tom [Holy] and Todd [Marchant] will sit down in a room and try and figure out what’s best for him in where he’s at in his development,” Grier said of Smith two weeks ago. “I know he’s got plans to try and win it all…But after that, we’ll talk and see how he’s feeling about his game and how he feels about himself physically and all that.”

TRANSCRIPT: Grier on Sharks’ Timeline, Trade Deadline Strategy, Quinn’s Performance