How Sharks’ Smith is getting bigger, stronger before first pro season

SAN JOSE – During the first two days of the San Jose Sharks’ development camp this week, center Will Smith displayed the kind of skating, puckhandling, and vision that helped make him the fourth overall pick at last year’s NHL Draft.   

But as he enters his first pro season after signing an entry-level contract with the Sharks in late May, the 19-year-old Smith, listed for now at 180 pounds, has also showcased his bigger frame and newfound strength during the camp’s contact drills. 

His secret to bulking up? A consistent diet, exercise plan, and a whole lot of protein shakes. 

“I’ve been eating a lot and tried to be consistent with that and be in the gym a lot,” Smith said Wednesday. “So I’ll probably be up eight or 10 pounds by the time I get here (in the fall), and it’s going to be huge for my game.”

Smith, who jokingly said that he might also be “a little bit taller” than the 6-foot-0 he’s listed at, is expected to be a big part of the Sharks future, along with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini.

Smith was in a different practice group than Celebrini during the first two days of the development camp. The two will scrimmage against each other in Thursday’s teal vs. white prospects game at Tech CU Arena. 

Although he didn’t divulge if Celebrini had said anything about whether he would turn pro or return to Boston University this season, Smith said he’d become friends with the franchise’s other teenage cornerstone. 

“We’re roommates at the hotel, so we’re around each other pretty much all day when we get back,” Smith said. “So it’s fun to be around each other and obviously get to know him since we’re going to be teammates here.”

While Celebrini is still picking between San Jose and Boston, Smith decided to depart Boston College in the spring and join the pro ranks.

It was not an easy decision. 

“It was pretty tough for me, leaving all of my buddies in my hometown is pretty tough,” said the Lexington, Mass. native who led all NCAA Division I players with 71 points this past season. “But I talked to the organization a lot and talked to (general manager) Mike (Grier) a lot.

‘It was a tough decision, but I thought it was the best one for me and my development as a player.”

With college behind him, Smith said he hopes to make the team and “be a huge contributor.” Even if Celebrini takes another year to join the team, the Sharks hope the duo can turn what Smith described as “a buzz” into wins.

COACHING HIRES: First-year Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky has finalized his coaching staff, announcing Wednesday that Doug Houda and Jeff Ulmer will join him as assistants.

From the 2023-24 staff, the Sharks and Warsofsky are also bringing back Brian Wiseman as an assistant coach, Thomas Speer as NHL goaltending coach and Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward as video coach and assistant video coach, respectively.

Scott Gordon, who had been on the Sharks’ coaching staff for the last two years, was not retained.

Houda, 58, joins the Sharks after spending the previous two seasons with the New York Islanders as assistant coach, where he oversaw the team’s defensemen and penalty kill.

Before joining the Islanders, Houda served six seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings and 10 years in the same role with the Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2003-06.

Ulmer, 47, joins the Sharks after serving as an assistant coach with the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL for the previous three seasons, where he oversaw the team’s power play and forwards. Before his time in Abbotsford, Ulmer spent two years with the Arizona Coyotes as director of player development and as a skills coordinator.

SIGNING: The Sharks signed veteran forward Andrew Poturalski to a two-year, two-way contract. The 30-year-old has played in six NHL games in eight-plus pro seasons, but has 131 goals and 289 assists in 468 AHL regular season games.

Poturalski just helped Coachella Valley reach the final of the Calder Cup playoffs, scoring 10 points in 13 postseason games and 51 points in 60 regular-season games. 

Poturalski was named the AHL’s Playoff MVP in 2019 and led the league in scoring in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.