{"id":275990,"date":"2026-04-19T20:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T20:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/275990\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T20:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T20:59:08","slug":"will-smith-25-26-exit-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/275990\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Smith 25-26 Exit Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next up from the San Jose Sharks\u2019 2025-2026 season exit interviews is winger and rising NHL star Will Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once again, thank you to Jonathan Bailey<\/a> for the transcription help.<\/p>\n

Here is the complete transcription of Smith\u2019s exit interview.<\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019ve completed your second NHL season. Can you recap it?<\/p>\n

A: It was a lot of fun. We had a great group. Obviously, we came up a little short, but it was a great jump for us, and definitely looking forward next year.<\/p>\n

Q: What did you learn during the Sharks\u2019 push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs<\/a>?<\/p>\n

A: I think just how fun it was. We\u2019re all striving to get into that race again next year. Obviously, the end goal is to be in the playoffs, and wish we were playing right now, but, yeah, we just can\u2019t wait to get back in that race for next year.<\/p>\n

Q: What did you personally learn that you might need to improve in the next playoff push?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019m definitely relied on to be good every night for this team, and that\u2019s something I definitely don\u2019t take lightly. I want to make sure I\u2019m ready to go every night next year.<\/p>\n

Q: What do the San Jose Sharks need to do to make the playoffs next year?<\/p>\n

A: I think just end of games, making sure we can finish a lot of those out. Even at the beginning of the year, some of those points, you can see that you needed them at the end of the year, and how close the race was.<\/p>\n

Q: What are you going to work on this Summer?<\/p>\n

A: I think there\u2019s a lot of personal stuff that I\u2019m going to work on, just in my game. I think getting faster and stronger is always a common thing, and definitely something I\u2019m still working on.<\/p>\n

Q: Will you be staying at the winger position?<\/p>\n

A: I mean, I played wing all year, this year, so. I haven\u2019t really talked about it with Ryan Warsofsky<\/a> or Mike Grier<\/a>. But I would assume that\u2019s the plan,<\/p>\n

Q: What did the team learn during the last four to five weeks of the season that you can take into the same situation next year?<\/p>\n

A: We\u2019re a young team. We got a really good core, and the older guys were great with us. A lot of guys who\u2019ve won in this league were on this roster this year. Whenever we had questions or need something, they\u2019re always there to help. I think being in the race this year is definitely going to help us coming into next year.<\/p>\n

Q: How does Macklin Celebrini<\/a> drive the culture of the San Jose Sharks?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, that\u2019s big. I think when you have a young guy like that who, like you said, can kind of drive the culture and bring winning habits to organization, it\u2019s big and something definitely that we all watch.<\/p>\n

Q: Are you headed to Worlds?<\/p>\n

A: This Summer, I\u2019m out for Worlds. Just want to make sure I\u2019m ready to go next year. Like I said, get bigger and stronger. I think May is definitely a big head start.<\/p>\n

Q: What was that experience like last year to take home a gold medal with Team USA?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, it was awesome. It was something I\u2019ll never forget. It was a crazy experience, and getting to do it with those guys was pretty special. Whenever you get to wear that sweater, it\u2019s unbelievable.<\/p>\n

Q: What are your training plans for the Summer? Are you going to train with Celebrini at all?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, we talked about it a little bit. I think he might come out to Boston for a bit, and then I\u2019ll go out to Vancouver and train with him for a week.<\/p>\n

Q: Could you train with Sidney Crosby<\/a> and Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> again?<\/p>\n

A: That was a blast last Summer. Not sure if that\u2019s happening again, but if it does, though, I\u2019ll definitely want to be there.<\/p>\n

Q: What are your personal highlights of the San Jose Sharks\u2019 season?<\/p>\n

A: Well, there\u2019s a lot of them. Probably one of my favorite games was earlier in the year at MSG. That was pretty cool, just to get the first win of the year in a special building like that. It was pretty cool.<\/p>\n

Q: Would you sign a long-term extension with the Sharks this Summer, and how cool would it be to do it with Celebrini?<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s awesome. That\u2019s definitely going to be a topic, I think, for Mack himself, too. I think being able to get that done would be awesome.<\/p>\n

Q: This Summer is the last time NHL players can get eight-year contracts. Would you be interested in that?<\/p>\n

A: I haven\u2019t thought about it at all. Like you said, we have the third year. We have a great group. I love being here, so just got to talk to Mike Grier and figure it out.<\/p>\n

Q: Would you be open to signing this Summer?<\/p>\n

A: I am always open to anything.<\/p>\n

Q: Collin Graf<\/a> really complemented your line well this season. What about his game made it work so well?<\/p>\n

A: He was awesome. He definitely put up some big numbers. I played against him in college, and he was great there. I knew what we were getting when he signed here, and just playing with him is great, too. He\u2019s really smart and has an unbelievable stick.<\/p>\n

Q: Can you speak to the growth of the San Jose Sharks fan base this season?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, it\u2019s been crazy. I think the following we\u2019ve had this year has been pretty special. We\u2019ve gained a lot of new fans just in the Bay Area; it\u2019s been awesome. The support from the whole city and seeing the Tank full is pretty special.<\/p>\n

Q: How does it feel to be partially responsible for the growth of the fan base?<\/p>\n

A: It was crazy. I think just even looking at photos from a couple years ago to now, and just also on Instagram on Monday night, compared a couple years ago to this year, and sold out, and the fans are into it. It\u2019s definitely one of the loudest places in the league.<\/p>\n

Q: Barclay Goodrow<\/a> talked about how well the vets and young players meshed in the locker room, including how the young players called the veterans old. How did it work so well?<\/p>\n

A: Did he say that?
*response* Yes, he did.<\/p>\n

A Cont.: Yeah, we\u2019re always joking around with them. It was a crazy bond. I think the older guys were great with us, and just the way they treated us was pretty amazing. And having [Michael Misa<\/a>] and [Sam Dickinson<\/a>] come in, kind of do what Mack and I did last year, was pretty cool too, to just kind of see how well they fit in.<\/p>\n

Q: Being with the Sharks for two years now, how have you seen the family values culture grow?<\/p>\n

A: From top to bottom, it\u2019s been amazing. I think you can hang out with any guy on this team, and it\u2019s a special group. I don\u2019t know what to say about it. Just a different bond than maybe some other teams have had, and it really is like a family feeling here.<\/p>\n

Q: You guys saw The Book of Mormon on Broadway. What was that experience like? Ryan Reaves<\/a> said he sat next to you and Celebrini.<\/p>\n

A: I think he sat between Mack and I. The seats were small too, [he was] manspreading. No, that was awesome. He brought the whole team there, and it was my first time seeing it. It was a blast to just kind of go to a show and be with all the guys.<\/p>\n

Q: How was the team chemistry different this year compared to last?<\/p>\n

A: When you\u2019re winning, it definitely helps. Just come to the rink, and every day was fun, no matter what was going on on the ice. Just being around the guys is really fun.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you want to play center again, or are you okay staying on the wing?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019m open to anything. I got drafted as a center, but I\u2019ve definitely gotten familiar with playing wing, and playing with Mack\u2019s been pretty special, too. So I\u2019m up for whatever.<\/p>\n

Q: How much motivation is there going into next year, knowing a big step forward was taken this year?<\/p>\n

A: It\u2019s huge. This Summer\u2019s gonna be really big for all of us. I think we know the expectations now, it\u2019s to be in the playoffs. I think everyone knows we came up short, but next year, we\u2019re definitely expected to be in there.<\/p>\n

Q: As the years pass, you will be looked at as a leader of the San Jose Sharks. What did you learn from guys like Reaves and John Klingberg<\/a>?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019ve learned a lot from them, see how they include everyone. Like I said, we have such a tight group that, I mean, dinners, the whole team\u2019s there. We got 20 guys there. It\u2019s truly special. And, yeah, just stuff like that. I think off the ice, they\u2019ve been nothing but the best.<\/p>\n

Q: Will your shoulder injury from earlier in the season require any offseason medical work?<\/p>\n

A: I haven\u2019t really talked about it too much. That sucked when I was out 13, 14 games, just kind of grinding in here, and it was great to be around the guys when I was hurt, too. They would always hang out with me here. Whenever they\u2019re on the road, I would always call them. So, besides that, I just keep rehashing the rehab.<\/p>\n

Q: After that injury, did it take you some time to get comfortable playing again?<\/p>\n

A: If you ask anyone who gets hurt, it kind of takes a couple games to kind of get back to the speed and the timing. I think the first game was in Detroit, and, yeah, I felt pretty good that game, and then that week, I felt back to normal.<\/p>\n

Q: Were you playing through the injury a little bit for the rest of the season?<\/p>\n

A: A little bit. I think, but always gonna feel it a little bit after something like that happens. I kept doing the rehab and all the kinds of activities that you have to do to keep that going.<\/p>\n

Q: Mike Grier addressed the team today. What was that like?<\/p>\n

A: I think just the expectations of this organization. Like I said, everyone can see this is a winning team, and we\u2019re expected to win next year and make that push.<\/p>\n

Q: The goal is to make the playoffs next season, yes?<\/p>\n

A: It\u2019s definitely the goal. We wish we were playing right now. But it was such a tight race this year, it came down to the end, and like I said, we\u2019re just excited to get back.<\/p>\n

Q: How was the flight home after game 82?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, it\u2019s a little bit of a weird feeling. I think, when you go from playing pretty much every other day to finishing out and some of these guys won\u2019t be back, or you won\u2019t see them again for a while, it\u2019s tough, but we\u2019re definitely just trying to enjoy our company right now.<\/p>\n

Q: You had many games with family in the crowd, like in Chicago. What\u2019s it like to play in front of them, and did you ever have time with them outside of hockey?<\/p>\n

A: They come to a lot of them. I\u2019ve had a big group at a couple of games this year. It\u2019s really special getting to play in front of all my family and friends. I wouldn\u2019t be here without them<\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019ve conquered Dubai Chocolate, what is next?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019ve got a couple of things up my sleeve that I\u2019m gonna be making this Summer. It\u2019s a secret right now.<\/p>\n

Q: Can you tell us what book the Sharks\u2019 book club was reading?<\/p>\n

A: I can\u2019t<\/p>\n

Q: Is that continuing over the Summer?<\/p>\n

A: Ehhhhhh, well, two of the guys didn\u2019t finish the, so.<\/p>\n

Q: Can you tell us who didn\u2019t finish it?<\/p>\n

A: Well, Mack and I did, and the other two guys didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Q. What did you think of Michael Misa\u2019s rookie season?<\/p>\n

A: He was great. I think at the start of the year, we could just see how special a player he could be, and he definitely played a huge role for us that last month that we were making the push, and he\u2019s definitely going to be a huge part of this organization for a while.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Next up from the San Jose Sharks\u2019 2025-2026 season exit interviews is winger and rising NHL star Will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275991,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[116586,1035,4401,88,90,89,98,119377,755,3578,8629],"class_list":{"0":"post-275990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-exit-interview","9":"tag-macklin-celebrini","10":"tag-mike-grier","11":"tag-san-jose","12":"tag-san-jose-headlines","13":"tag-san-jose-news","14":"tag-san-jose-sharks","15":"tag-sharks-video","16":"tag-sj-sharks","17":"tag-will-smith","18":"tag-will-smith-hockey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}