Jackson Smith announced his commitment to Penn State men's hockey on June 15. The defenseman is predicted to be a first round draft pick with the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on Friday, June 27.
In his most recent season in juniors with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, he had 83 points on 18 goals and 65 assists. EliteProspects reported that Smith is creative and skilled with excellent forecheck play. He's an explosive defenseman who can travel in between players down the sheet.
Where do mock drafts have Nittany Lion commit and defenseman Jackson Smith going?
ESPN ranked the top 64 players in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and Smith broke into the top 10. He's listed at No. 8 and is considered to be the second-best defenseman of the group. Ahead of him is the No. 1 prospect, Matthew Schaefer, who is on the path to becoming a star in the NHL in his future. Schaefer who is predicted to be the No. 1 overall draft pick going to the New York Islanders. This is as exact as a prediction can be.
As for Smith, most outlets are expecting him to be an early-mid pick in the first round.
The Hockey News has Smith going the earliest, but not by much. The Seattle Kraken have the No. 8 pick in the first round and Tony Ferrari is predicting this is when the 18-year-old will be picked up. Ferrari wrote:
"Seattle has often drafted the smaller, high-skill players up front and on the back end, so the chance to take Smith here gives them a defender with the upside to be the second-best blueliner in the class. Smith is big and mobile with the potential to grow into an impact defender at both ends of the ice. His rush defense is the best in the class, and his flashes of puck skill are intriguing."
The NHL has Smith heading to Pittsburgh either going No. 11 or No. 12 overall depending on who you ask. Mike G. Morreale predicts that the Penguins will secure Smith with their first pick of the round. He wrote:
"Smith can run the first unit on the power play or penalty kill, can finish hits, and take charge in transition. Pittsburgh could use more young depth on the back end."
Adam Kimelman, on the other hand, has Smith getting drafted by Pittsburgh in its second first-round pick: No. 12 overall. Kimelman suggested that using this back-to-back pick would be a good opportunity for the Penguins to grab a right-shot and left-shot defenseman. Since it has the No. 11 and No. 12 pick in its hands, Smith and Radim Mrkta could be interchangeable if this is a scenario Pittsburgh sees fitting best. Kimelman wrote:
"[Smith] skates well enough to be a one-man breakout and can make a smart first pass out of the zone. The 18-year-old has solid offensive skills, and was physical in the defensive zone while playing against other team's top lines. And he'll be a close drive away next season he continues his development at Penn State University next season."
Bleacher Report is the odd one out. Lyle Richardson has the defenseman going No. 21 overall to the Ottawa Senators. However, he emphasized that this will only be the case "if Smith is available," implying that the likelihood of him still be around this late in the first round is not very realistic.
The first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft can be watched on ESPN or ESPN+ on June 27 starting at 7 p.m. EST. Rounds two through seven can be watched on June 28 beginning at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN+ or NHL Network.