The San Jose Sharks have quite a few prospects representing them at the IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) this year. Included in the seven total players are two of the Sharks’ most recent first-round draft picks. Filip Bystedt was drafted 27th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, while Will Smith was selected fourth overall this past summer. Although they’re in vastly different situations, the Sharks would be wise to bring both of them over to the NHL next season.
Filip Bystedt’s Season Recap
Bystedt is currently signed to an NHL contract, as he signed his entry-level deal in June. Outside of representing Sweden at the WJC, he’s playing for Linkoping HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In the SHL, he currently has nine points through 26 games which may not sound incredible but considering the difficulty of that league compared to the Canadian Hockey League or even the NCAA, he’s doing well as a 19-year-old center.
Representing Sweden, he had a hot start to the tournament scoring twice in a 6-0 victory over Latvia. Since then, he’s cooled off a bit scoring just a single goal and one assist in the next five games. Given the amount of talent on that Swedish team though, his lack of production on the scoresheet hasn’t held them back in the slightest. At the time of writing, they’re set to play Team USA for the gold medal in less than 24 hours.
Will Smith’s Stellar Performances
Speaking of Team USA, they also have a key Sharks prospect in Smith. He’s played phenomenally for the American team, as he currently sits with seven points, four of which are goals, in six games. He also came up clutch in the semi-final, as he scored the game-tying goal that sent them to the gold medal game over Finland.
After the conclusion of the tournament, he’ll head back to Boston College where he has dominated alongside his linemates, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault who also both went in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. All three of them are currently above a point per game in the NCAA, and are also all on the American WJC team. They also have another teammate who has played incredibly in the tournament, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Cutter Gauthier. Back to Smith though, in his first season at the collegiate level, he has registered a total of 23 points in only 17 games. Unsurprisingly, the Boston College Eagles are ranked number one in the nation, and Smith is a big part of that.
The Sharks will have to convince Smith that it’s the right time for him to move on at the end of the season though, as once he signs a contract he’ll no longer be eligible to return to the NCAA and he’ll have to turn professional. The decision will likely get easier when the Washington Capitals push to sign Leonard and the New York Rangers look to do the same with Perreault. It’ll also become much easier if the Eagles can win the national championship this season, as all three players will have nothing left to prove at the collegiate level.
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Both Bystedt and Smith have done a phenomenal job representing both their club teams and their nation so far this season. The Sharks are going to have some difficulty convincing them to make the jump to the NHL immediately following their performance this season, however, the sooner they can bring them into the mix, the sooner they’ll have a competitive team; although it won’t happen overnight. On top of that, it will also give a reason for fans to pile into the SAP Center, as they’ll have a few reasons to be excited on a nightly basis regardless of the team’s record.