ARLINGTON, Va. – Macklin Celebrini arrived in the NHL with a lot of hype as the top pick in the draft and the immediate face of the San Jose Sharks franchise.
He has a buddy in Will Smith, another blue-chip prospect and hope for the organization's future, who also serves as his roommate on the road. And those watching Celebrini had to curb any hype because he was sidelined for nearly a month after his pro debut with a hip injury.
Celebrini is healthy again and feels well. He's the league's rookie of the month and the first star of the week for what he did in late November. Smith is also on a four-game point streak and a quarter of the way through his rookie season, confidence is growing for the Sharks' two most important pieces.
“Of course we’re happy for each other whenever we produce or play well,” Smith said. “It's my first year, it's also Mack's first year (coach Ryan Warsofsky's). As a team we have found a kind of rhythm here and we are trying to stick to it.”
San Jose lost its first nine games, eight without Celebrini, and is 9-6-3 since that difficult start. Celebrini has four goals and three assists in his last four games.
The 18-year-old learned of his honor as the first NHL Star of the Week after he left the ice after practice and before taking off his skates.
“First star of what?” Celebrini said. “In the NHL?”
Celebrini has scored 14 points in his first 15 games, a 0.93 average, which is tops among rookies. He also overtook Philadelphia's Matvei Michkov as the betting favorite and won the Calder Trophy as BetMGM Sportsbook's rookie of the Year.
This goes beyond its production. According to Sportlogiq, Celebrini leads all players in puck battles won per game, ahead of more experienced two-way centers like John Tavares, Sean Couturier and Ryan O'Reilly.
“He’s not afraid to stick his nose in, and it’s extremely impressive for an 18-year-old in the National Hockey League to go up against some bigger players,” Warsofsky said. “He sticks his nose in and fights for pucks, and I think that’s his competitiveness.”
Washington coach Spencer Carbery, who has been close to Warsofsky since hiring him to coach South Carolina in the ECHL in 2016, probably watches more Sharks games than other teams in the West and was caught off guard by Celebrini's shot.
“That was impressive: his release and how hard it was,” Carbery said. “Elite, elite shooter, and then of course he has a lot of other tools. But that was maybe the moment where I thought, 'Ooh, I didn't know he had that kind of determination and pace with his shot.'”
Smith went pointless in his first eight games before scoring two goals against Chicago on October 31. The coaching staff have managed his minutes carefully, keeping him out of back-to-back appearances until the weekend, and the 19-year-old is showing significant improvement with three goals and four assists in the last four games.
“You can tell he’s more comfortable out there,” senior linemate Mikael Granlund said. “It looks like he’s not really forcing anything anymore. He’s such a talented, smart player out there, he just has to do the right things again and all of a sudden the game kind of gets closer to you.”
Celebrini scored 64 points in 38 games at Boston University last season, while Smith scored 71 of 41 points en route to the NCAA title game at Boston College. Going from there to the NHL is an adjustment, but one that the 2023 No. 4 pick was comfortable with.
“I still came here to win and I came here to help this team,” Smith said. “It’s another level. …You're in the NHL. It's the best league in the world. Even if you don't get any points in a game and still have a lot of chances, it's still good for your self-confidence, even if you don't score.”
Also good for the young players is the trust that is available alongside older teammates like Tyler Toffoli and coaches. Celebrini lives with Joe Thornton and Smith lives with Patrick Marleau, so San Jose's past stars will play a role in shaping the team's future.
“Just the resources they get from these two players is remarkable,” Warsofsky said.
