Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
CHICAGO — “Take a deep breath.”
That’s Ryan Warsofsky’s message to Will Smith.
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San Jose's first-year coach also could be speaking to Sharks fans concerned about the top prospect’s slow start.
Smith, the 2023 No. 4 overall draft pick, hasn’t put up a point yet through three games this season, and he has seen his ice time drop from 13:41 in his NHL debut to 13:05, and then to 10:10 on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.
“Yeah, he's frustrated,” Warsofsky acknowledged to San Jose Hockey Now after Wednesday’s practice.
Smith centered Luke Kunin and Barclay Goodrow in the session, after being between Fabian Zetterlund and Klim Kostin the previous two games.
San Jose Sharks
“I mean, obviously, not the start I wanted,” Smith admitted. “But I'm playing [in] the NHL as a 19-year-old, so I can't ask for much more.”
#TheFutureIsTeal lines today, sans Eklund, interesting switch of Wennberg/Smith:
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 16, 2024
Gushchin-Granlund-Toffoli
Kostin-Wennberg-Zetterlund
Goodrow-W. Smith-Kunin
Grundstrom-Sturm-Dellandrea
Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Except, of course, that the ultra-competitive Smith asks a lot of himself.
“I just got to be better all-around and be trusted,” he said.
“I think he's overthinking his game at times, and he's just got to go out and play," Warsofsky said. "He's obviously super-skilled. He's got to do a little bit more without the puck to get himself set up for offense, which we talked about this morning, him and I, and he's moving in the right direction. This is a tough league to play in, and he's learning that.”
Perhaps skating with defense-minded Kunin and Goodrow will free Smith to focus on offense.
“This is kind of a development stage for him,” Warsofsky said. “The travel, get back, get on the bus this morning, get ready for practice. This is all good for him, and he understands that.”
“It's adversity, but already have a game tomorrow, so it's not like college, where you have to wait a week,” the Boston College star said. “So get right back out there and have another chance to prove myself.”
“It's a learning curve, right?” Warsofsky said. “He knew this is going to be a challenge. We all knew this.”
Part of the learning curve is to not get ahead of yourself.
Warsofsky suggested, perhaps counterintuitively: “[Don’t] try to go and have a great game. That's really, really hard and difficult for a human to go and say, 'I'm going to have a great game.' It's almost impossible.”
Instead, break it down, take it one shift at a time: “Let's have one good shift. And if something goes wrong, have some mental toughness to reset yourself mentally, go try and have a positive shift.”
It’s not just Warsofsky. The entire Sharks organization has been supportive of Smith, including veterans such as Matt Benning, who gave the teen a pat on the helmet after a missed shootout attempt Tuesday.
“They've been great, taking me out to dinner and stuff like that,” Smith said. “Couldn't ask for a better group of older guys, and they've been nothing but supportive this whole way through.”
Smith said he also has talked “a little bit” to fellow super prospect Macklin Celebrini, who’s recovering from a hip injury in San Jose, about his struggles.
Smith, like 2024 first overall pick Celebrini, had a loaded summer.
“There's been a lot thrown at him since — you can even go back to development camp, his summer training, into the rookie tournament, with the media spotlight, with everything that goes on outside of the game of hockey. He’s got to catch his breath a little bit,” Warsofsky said.
For what it’s worth, Warsofsky was encouraged by what he saw from Smith at practice Wednesday.
“He had a really good practice. That was the best practice he's had since he's been with us,” the Sharks’ bench boss said. “His pace. He just looked more engaged in the practice. He looked like he was ready. He was executing. He was shooting pucks. He was letting his offense come out.”
For now, Smith will remain at center. He has struggled on the draw, winning just 19.2 percent of his faceoffs, and has needed to be sheltered defensively. Once again, center-wingers such as Kunin and Goodrow can help.
Otherwise, the next logical step for Smith could be a positional move to wing.
“I do whatever the coaches want me to do,” Smith said, noting that he hasn’t played much wing in his career. “I can figure it out pretty quick. It's part of being a forward. I need to know how to play both.”
“We're not there yet. We're going to continue to work with him as a center,” Warsofsky said. “His future, I believe, is in the middle. So, we've got to continue to work on that.”
Ultimately, Warsofsky believes Smith will be the better for all this.
“Things are going to happen in life. Things aren't going to go your way,” Warsofsky said. “We're not panicking. He's not panicking.”
“Three games in,” Smith said. “There's going to be ups and downs. It's the best league in the world.”