Patrick Marleau knows talent when he sees it.
The legendary former Sharks center shared his thoughts on Will Smith and Quentin Musty -- San Jose's pair of 2023 NHL Draft first-round picks -- in a recent conversation with San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng.
"These guys coming in, they're so highly touted with all their skill level coming in so it's great to have those players," Marleau said to Peng on the latest "San Jose Hockey Now" podcast. "We're looking forward to working with those players and help them out."
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Smith, the No. 4 overall pick, played for the U.S. National Under 18 team this past season. In 60 games, he scored 51 goals and tallied 76 assists. Smith is committed to play at Boston College during the 2023-24 season.
For the Sharks' second pick of the first round, which they received in the Timo Meier trade, the Sharks selected the 17-year-old Musty at No. 26 overall.
Last season, Musty had 26 goals and dished out 52 assists for the OHL's Sudbury Wolves.
San Jose Sharks
With San Jose now rebuilding, Marleau is looking forward to seeing what Smith, Musty and the rest of the players the Sharks drafted can do.
"Just excited to work with these guys," Marleau told Peng. "We've got dev camp coming up and getting on the ice with these and trying to help them in any way possible.
"So I'm looking forward to getting to meet them, know them, see what makes them tick so I can learn to try and help them."
In Marleau, San Jose's draftees certainly have perhaps one of the best mentors a young prospect could ask for as the 43-year-old arguably is the best Sharks player in franchise history.
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Considering where San Jose is in its rebuilding process, it'll be a while before Sharks fans will see Smith and Musty play at SAP Center.
But when those two finally make it to the big club, expect them to be more than ready for the spotlight.