Oct 1, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks heart Macklin Celebrini (71) throughout the second interval towards the Utah Hockey Membership at SAP Heart at San Jose. Necessary Credit score: Stan Szeto-Imagn Pictures
After a historic NHL debut, Macklin Celebrini merely hopes to be on the ice when the San Jose Sharks host the Anaheim Geese on Saturday night time.
Celebrini, the No. 1 general choose by the Sharks within the 2024 NHL Draft, had a objective and an help towards the visiting St. Louis Blues on Thursday night time, however San Jose blew a 4-1 third-period lead and misplaced 5-4 in extra time.
Celebrini is coping with a lower-body damage and missed follow on Friday. He’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s recreation.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky was non-committal over whether or not Celebrini will probably be on the ice towards Anaheim.
“He is nonetheless being evaluated … so, I could not reply that query,” Warsofsky stated.
Celebrini scored 7:01 into the sport, the second-fastest objective by a No. 1 choose behind Mario Lemieux, who scored 2:59 into his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 11, 1984, towards the Boston Bruins.
Later within the interval, Celebrini arrange Tyler Toffoli for a objective, turning into the youngest participant in NHL historical past (18 years, 119 days) to document two factors within the first interval of his debut.
Shane Doan held the earlier mark at 18 years, 362 days with the Winnipeg Jets in 1995.
“He is unimaginable, an unimaginable expertise, works extraordinarily exhausting,” Toffoli stated. “On the finish of the day, he desires to win video games, too, and he’ll do no matter it takes.”
San Jose ought to have higher odds towards the Geese, the ultimate NHL workforce to make their season debut after the Washington Capitals make theirs just a few hours earlier on Saturday.
Anaheim can be making an attempt to finish a rebuilding section that has stored it out of the playoffs the previous six seasons.
The Geese have stocked their roster with a number of excessive draft picks, led by Leo Carlsson, the second general choose within the 2023 NHL Draft.
Mason McTavish went third general in 2021, Cutter Gauthier went fifth in 2022 and fellow ahead Trevor Zegras went ninth in 2019.
Zegras will probably be counted on most for a bounce-back season.
He missed most of coaching camp final season whereas a brand new contract was being negotiated, then missed 20 video games after sustaining a lower-body damage in mid-November.
Zegras returned for eight video games, solely to undergo a damaged ankle on Jan. 9 that value him one other 2 1/2 months. He in the end performed simply 31 video games, tallying six targets and 9 assists, a giant drop-off after scoring 23 targets in every of the earlier two seasons.
“He is at that candy spot,” Geese coach Greg Cronin stated of Zegras’s profession. “He is 23. The overall consensus is that an athlete is what he’ll be between 23 and 26.”
Cronin stated Zegras has the ability, palms and shot-making potential to be one of many prime gamers within the league.
“That is his core proper now; that is what his worth system is,” Cronin stated. “That is what he demonstrates, so when he goes out to play a recreation, he desires to show to his teammates and to the followers, ‘I am one of these participant.'”
Defensively, the Geese even have some extremely touted younger gamers, led by Pavel Mintyukov, the tenth general choose in 2022. Fellow blueliners Olen Zellweger, 21, and Tristan Luneau, 20, additionally made the opening-night roster.
Luneau made the workforce out of coaching camp final season, too, however in December, an an infection in his knee value him the remainder of the season.
“Tristan is in a means of getting timing, recreation velocity and decision-making constructed (again) into his DNA,” Cronin stated. “A child who was out many of the 12 months simply wants expertise.”
–Discipline Stage Media