Forward Macklin Celebrini (47) carries the puck during the San Jose Sharks prospects practice game at CU Tech Arena on July 4, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE — It’s unclear whether Macklin Celebrini will turn professional, join the NHL and play with the San Jose Sharks this season.
But Celebrini’s impact on the Sharks franchise is already undeniable, as evidenced by the nearly 3,000 people who paid to see him and San Jose’s other top prospects — on a national holiday — participate in a noon scrimmage at CU Tech Arena.
“I think last year the crowd was pretty good,” said defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who was drafted in the fifth round last year, “but this year it was maybe a lot better.”
“He brought some momentum back to the San Jose Sharks organization,” said Todd Marchant, Celebrini’s director of player development. “It’s been a tough couple of years, but he’s made it clear that there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel that’s starting to show.”
Crowd celebrates for Celebrini pic.twitter.com/XK3LqM2Ocg
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) July 4, 2024
Celebrini, who just turned 18 three weeks ago, said Tuesday — four days after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick — that the decision on whether to turn pro or return to Boston University for his sophomore season would come soon. But over the past three days, he’s gotten a taste of how eager Sharks fans are to see him play.
Celebrini signed a few dozen autographs after both development camp practices this week and again at the San Jose Giants game Tuesday at Excite Stadium, where he and fellow prospect Will Smith threw out the first pitch.
“Mack just floated it. I gave Smitty a little more respect for his effort,” said deadpan forward Quentin Musty, who along with Smith was drafted in the first round by the Sharks last year. “It was in the dirt. Maybe he could have had a swing with that one. You never know.”
Thursday’s game featured six first-round draft picks: Celebrini, Smith, Musty, Filip Bystedt and Sam Dickenson, all selected by the Sharks, as well as forward David Edstrom, who was selected 32nd overall by Vegas last year and acquired in the trade that saw Tomas Hertl join the Golden Knights in March.
On Thursday, when the players were introduced one-on-one before the game, Celebrini, predictably, received the loudest ovation.
“It’s unbelievable. There’s obviously a lot of excitement here,” Celebrini said. “With the group that we have … in the locker room, a lot of young guys, and we’re growing here together. So it’s a super exciting time, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”
There was drama in Thursday’s practice match, and Celebrini was at the heart of it all.
Celebrini’s team, Team White, was down three goals with just under three minutes left in the final period. With Celebrini in support, staying on the ice for most of the time, Team White scored three unanswered goals, with Pohlkamp scoring the equalizer with just seconds left.
A shot from Pohlkamp after a pass from Celebrini tied the score at 7-7. pic.twitter.com/nQbzmcI7St
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) July 4, 2024
It was a familiar sight for Marchant, who had seen Celebrini take over in a quarterfinal match for Team Canada at the world junior championships earlier this year.
“They ended up losing the game, but it was like, ‘Let’s go. Follow me,’ and you saw it again today,” Marchant said. “He didn’t want to come off the ice — and why take him off the ice, in the first place — but he didn’t want to come off the ice. He wanted to be part of this process, and it’s a development camp practice game in July, but he wanted to be part of the process, and you like players who want to play in big situations.
“You want players who like responsibility and pressure because they thrive on it, and he’s one of those guys.”
Although Celebrini is far from a finished product, is he ready to turn professional, Marchant was asked?
Marchant did not directly say yes or no, but he knows that Celebrini has a rare ability and maturity beyond his years.
“He’s a special player. He’s a special individual,” Marchant said of Celebrini. “Aside from the hockey side of it, I just like the way he carries himself. He carries himself with confidence, without pretense, and with class, and I think that resonates with your group.”
“The rest of the group will want to be with him and follow him.”
Between the draft lottery, the combine and the draft itself at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Celebrini seems ready for things to slow down a bit as he figures out what’s next. But being in San Jose and wearing a Sharks jersey feels pretty comfortable for now.
“It’s something I’ll remember,” Celebrini said of the last few weeks, “but it’s really nice to move on and now get ready to build toward our goal and build with these guys.”
SIGNATURES: The Sharks now have at least two restricted free agents under contract, signing Ty Dellandrea and Carl Grundstrom to two-year extensions. Grundstrom’s contract is worth $3.6 million with an average annual value of $1.8 million and puts him at unrestricted free agent status. The Sharks acquired Grundstrom, 26, from the Los Angeles Kings last week in exchange for defenseman Kyle Burroughs.
Dellandrea’s contract is worth $2.6 million and has an average annual value of $1.3 million. At the end of the contract, Dellandrea will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Dellandrea was acquired from the Dallas Stars on June 19 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft originally held by the Winnipeg Jets.
Dellandrea, a first-round pick of the Stars in 2018, turns 24 on July 21. He had just signed a one-year contract worth $900,000.
