
Will Smith and Ryan Leonard are two names New England hockey fans have known for quite a while.
Smith, a Lexington, Mass., native, came up through the ranks with the Boston Junior Eagles before heading to St. Sebastian's. In the western part of Massachusetts, Leonard, a native of Amherst, Mass., was taking the region by storm with the Springfield Rifles and Pope Francis High School.
Both secured spots with the United States National Team Development Program and after two seasons in Plymouth, Mich., they're two names that have become familiar to hockey fans across the country.
Even more will know their names in two weeks when their names are called in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
New England is no stranger to producing top NHL Draft prospects. Since 2015, nine different New England natives have walked across the stage in Round 1.