Smith on His Contract Extension, Summer Plans, Who’s Not Keeping Up With Book Club

I’m open to anything. I got drafted as a center, but I’ve definitely gotten familiar with playing wing, and playing with Mack’s been pretty special, too, so I’m up for whatever.

Smith, on what the team can take away from the end of the year:

I mean, we’re a young team. We have a really good core, and I think the older guys are great with us. A lot of guys who have won one in this league were on this roster this year. Whenever we had questions or needed something, they’re always there to help. I think being in the race this year is going to help us coming into next year.

Smith, on Macklin Celebrini setting the tone for the room:

Yeah, it’s 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 an organization, it’s big, and something definitely that we’re all watching.

Smith, on if he’s going to join USA at Worlds:

This summer, I’m out for Worlds. I just want to make sure I’m ready to go next year. Like I said, get bigger and stronger and a big May is definitely a big head start.

Smith, on last year’s Men’s Worlds and winning gold:

Yeah, it was awesome. It was something I’ll 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’s unbelievable.

Smith, on whether he’ll be training with Celebrini:

We talked about it a little bit. I think he might come out to Boston for a bit, and then I’ll go out to Vancouver and train with him for a week. 

Smith, on joining Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon in the summer at Nova Scotia again:

That was a blast last summer. Not sure if that’s happening again, but if it does, though, I’ll definitely want to be there.

Smith, on his personal highlights from this season:

There’s 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 one of the year and in a special building like that. It was pretty cool.

Smith, on a contract extension:

That’s definitely going to be a topic, I think, just for Mack himself, too. That’s awesome. I think being able to get that done would be awesome. 

Honestly, I haven’t thought about it at all. Like you said, we have the third year [on the ELC], but yeah, we have a great group, I love being here. Just got to talk to Mike Grier and figure it out. I’m always open to anything.

Smith, on Collin Graf:

He was awesome. He definitely put up some big numbers. I played against him in college, and he was great there, so I knew what we were getting when he signed here. Just playing with him, it’s great too. He’s really smart and has an unbelievable stick.

Smith, on the growth of the San Jose Sharks fanbase:

It’s been crazy. I think just the following we’ve had this year has been pretty special, and I think we’ve gained a lot of new fans. Just in the Bay Area, it’s been awesome. The support from the whole city, and seeing the Tank full is pretty special. 

It was crazy. I think just even looking at photos from a couple years ago to now, and just also on Instagram, a Monday night compared to a couple years ago, to this year, and sold out, and the fans are into it. It’s definitely one of the loudest places in the league.

Smith, on how fun the room was this year:

We’re always joking around with them, but yeah, it was a crazy bond. I think the older guys were great with us, and just the way they treated us was pretty amazing. Having Misa and Dicky come in, and kind of do what Mack and I did last year was pretty cool too, to just see how well they fit in.

Smith, on the culture in the organization:

From top to bottom, it’s been amazing. I think you can hang out with any guy on this team. It’s a special group. I don’t know what to say about it, it’s just a different bond than maybe some other teams have had, and it really is like a family feeling here.

Smith, on the Book of Mormon outing:

[Ryan Reaves] sat in between Mack and I. The seats were small too, and he was manspreading. No, that was awesome. He brought the whole team there, and it’s my first time seeing it. It was a blast to just go to a show and be with all the guys.

Smith, on the change in the locker room:

I think when you’re winning, it definitely helps. You just come to the rink and every day was fun here, no matter what was going on on the ice, just being around the guys is just truly fun.

Smith, on the motivation they feel moving into next season:

It’s huge. This summer is going to be really big for all of us. I think we know the expectations now: it’s to be in the playoffs. I think everyone knows we came up short, but next year, we’re definitely expected to be in there.

Smith, on what he’s learned about leadership from some of the vets:

I’ve learned a lot from them. I think just kind of see how they include everyone. Like I said, we have such a tight group that when we have dinners, we all have the whole team there. We got 20 guys there. It’s truly special. Stuff like that off the ice, they’ve been nothing but the best.

Smith, on his shoulder injury:

We haven’t really talked about it too much. That sucks when I was out for 13-14 games, just kind of grinding in here. It was great to be around the guys when I was hurt. They would always hang out with me here, whenever they’re on the road, I would always call them. Besides that, just keep [focusing on] the rehab when it came to that.

I think if you ask anyone who gets hurt, it takes a couple games to get back to the speed and the timing. I think the first game was in Detroit and I felt pretty good that game, and then that week, I felt back to normal. 

I think I’m always gonna feel a little bit after something like that happens. I kept doing the rehab and all the activities that you have to do to keep that going.

Smith, on the message from Mike Grier:

Just the expectations of this organization. Like I said, everyone can see this is a winning team, and we’re expected to win next year and make that push. It’s 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. Like I said, we’re just excited to get back.

Smith, on the flight home from Winnipeg at the end of the season:

It’s 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’t be back, or you won’t see him again for a while, it’s tough, but we’re definitely just trying to enjoy our company right now.

Smith, on having his family for the Chicago game recently:

They come to a lot of them. I’ve had a big group at a couple of games this year. It’s really special getting to play in front of all my family and friends, and I wouldn’t be here without them.

Smith, on what’s next for the Book Club this summer:

Well, two guys didn’t finish the book. Mack and I did, so…

Smith, on Michael Misa:

He was great. At the start of the year, we could just see how special a player he could be, and he definitely had a huge role for us that last month that we were making the push, and he’s definitely going to be a huge part of this organization for a while.

The post Smith on His Contract Extension, Summer Plans, Who’s Not Keeping Up With Book Club appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.