Rookie Midterms: Will Smith is starting to prove that he belongs

The last time we wrote about Will Smith, every aspect of his game needed work, from his offensive reads to his defensive play. He appeared to lack the details, the pace of play, and the strength required to succeed at the NHL level. But the most concerning element was that his confidence seemed to be slowly dropping. An extra stickhandle or a deceleration at the wrong time killed the few scoring chances he was getting.

This was an unusual development for Smith, a player who had scored at a high rate at every stage before. Confidence had always been an integral part of his game.

Watching him struggle, we believed an AHL stint would benefit him. He would have received more minutes with the Barracuda and faced easier competition. His scoring would have likely picked up while he acquired the tec