Not saying that Will Smith will be as good as jack hughes, but it’s definitely something to look at. projected for higher points in usntdp and pretty close in stats for the us national team. Can’t wait for the lottery!
by lunag1234
@Montreal Canadiens
12 Comments
And Hughes was playing on a ridiculously stacked team. (Caufield, Zegras, Turcotte, York, Boldy) Smith isn’t Hughes, but he’s a very very good prospect to possibly get at 5th overall.
Jack Hughes also had Caufield beside him breaking scoring records. I would be really happy with Smith, but if we pass on Michkov for him it would be a tough pill to swallow.
Just think of all the meme opportunities with a player with that name!!!!!
More Will Smith [USNTDP facts](https://www.usahockeyntdp.com/records):
* Tied for 6th most All-Time points.
* Tied for 7th most All-Time goals.
* Tied for 6th most All-Time assists.
I have a feeling he’s gonna end up in the top 4 on draft day
I sincerely hope we don’t pick the one from the terrorist country… edit: I wrote this knowing full well the fanboy reactions I’d get… to be clear, Fuck russia with a big fucking gnarly stick, and fuck all russian terrorists. And fuck you all for apologizing for them. fuck you very much.
Will Smith is the perfect exemple of why you cant only look at PPG to assess the value of a prospect. Hes got a lot of flaws in his games which even makes scouts put him behind some of his teammates like Moore and Leonard. Skating mechanic is really bad (which means that he wont get much faster and agile than he already is even if he bulks up), his defensive game is almost non-existent (which explains his high points total as he always is the last forward despite being a C back in his zone allowing to counterattack much more easily which however comes at a huge cost defensively) and his effort level is questionable (he hardly wins any board battle even against USHL teams which is really concerning).
People comparing him to Cooley and even worst, Jack Hughes need to pump the break a bit. Based on projectability, hes definitely behind Benson (who also imo has an higher ceiling) and Reinbacher. Leonard is also a guy Id put in front of him.
This seems like a Wright situation all over again where this time, people assume Smith is the guy only because of his pts total and some 5 min highlights vids (just like they assumed Wright was the guy because of his Exceptionnal status).
Please Im begging you to watch some actual games. The usntdp website allows us to stream every home game.
Honestly, barring a lottery win, rooting for this one if still available.
Numbers, size, play style. Yes. All good.
But also: the shitpost value can’t be neglected here.
Hate to be that nerd, but if we finish 5th worst overall, the most likely draft position is 6th, not 5th: https://www.tankathon.com/nhl/pick_odds
I doubt we can get jiggy at 6th.
Id rather have benson
I don’t know why you never learn – Habs are drafting some guy way too early at 5, get ready to have Reinbacher or Dvorsky while Benson and the NTDP guys are all available
They’d probably even skip over Michkov if they could
Bobrov and Lapointe are firmly in control of that scouting department
It’s unlikely we draft 5th, with Benson’s injury I don’t think he’ll be available 6th.