When Will Smith Wasn’t Sure About Going Pro, What Advice Did Logan Cooley Give Him? (+)

Making the jump directly from the NCAA to the NHL is daunting and not something every player can do successfully.

Will Smith is one of the players on the San Jose Sharks who is currently trying to climb that mountain. Things haven’t gone to plan for the 19-year-old who has struggled out of the gate. As a result, some have begun to question whether or not he’s truly ready for the NHL. 

During the San Jose Sharks’ first-ever trip to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Hockey Club, Logan Cooley, who made the same move during the 2023-24 season, spoke to San Jose Hockey Now in an exclusive about the difficulty of the task and what advice he’s given to the 2023 fourth-overall pick.

Cooley, the No. 3 selection of the 2022 Draft, said he spoke to Smith over the summer, when the Lexington, MA native was deciding whether or not to turn professional.