San Jose Sharks rookie forward Will Smith changed his stick against the Montreal Canadiens six games ago and has been on fire since.
Smith had been using a Bauer Tracer hockey stick, a mid-kick point, but switched to a low-kick Bauer Hyperlite 2.
After the game in Montreal, the forward joked that the stick change didn’t mean much, but after his recent stretch, he took that comment back.
“I take back what I said; it’s not just a stick. That was a bad comment by me,” Smith smiled. “Like I said, I’m a big stick geek, so I’m always changing curves or changing sticks.”
Smith then explained that he got lucky because his new Hyperlite 2 stick was the only one he had.
“I had one there and only had one stick the entire trip,” Smith said. “We were in Montreal, I said, screw it, and I got an assist the first shift, so I said, might as well keep it.”
Besides the kick-point, Smith also told SHD that he changed some details with his blade.
“There was a little bit of a change in the blade,” Smith explained. “The stiffness of it.”
Smith emphasized that while the stick change has helped, he has wanted to shoot the puck more, which he has done.
“I like changing things up. Since I switched, I’ve been scoring more, so I think I’m keeping it,” Smith said. “I want to be trusted out there at the end of the game and work in the D zone as much as I can. Like I said, [I want] to shoot more. The more I do that, the more will open up for me too.”
The young rookie has 12 goals and 20 assists in 57 games this season, and despite a slow scoring start, the 19-year-old has remained confident.
“Coming into the league, it’s best goalies in the world,” Smith said.
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