Sharks activate Will Smith from IR; will play against Red Wings

The San Jose Sharks are set to get a crucial piece of their forward unit back on Friday night, as they have activated Will Smith from injured reserve, and according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, he will play in Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Smith has not appeared in a game since December 13, as he has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for over a month.

The 20-year-old Massachusetts native was in the midst of a true breakout season prior to his injury, as he had compiled 29 points on 12 goals and 17 assists across his 33 games played. His 29 points are still fifth on the Sharks, and he had a hold on second in the team until Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg and William Eklund recently surpassed him.

His effort to this point has built upon a solid rookie campaign in 2024-25 that saw him rack up 45 points in 74 games while putting up 12 points on the power play.

Smith’s return will be a major boost to the team’s offensive firepower, as production has been lacking behind Hart Trophy candidate Macklin Celebrini, whose 71 points put him 39 clear of the second highest total on his team.

Celebrini’s brilliance has propelled a Sharks team that finished 20-50-12 a year ago to the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture. Their 24-19-3 record is good enough to give them the second wild card spot in a tightly-packed Western Conference playoff race.

San Jose has earned victories in four of its past five outings, with an impressive 3-2 road win in Washington coming on Thursday night.

Now, they have the second half of a back-to-back scenario on tap against a Red Wings team that is firmly entrenched in a playoff spot in the East.