Macklin Celebrini questionable as Sharks host Ducks

After a historic NHL debut, Macklin Celebrini simply hopes to be on the ice when the San Jose Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist against the visiting St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, but San Jose blew a 4-1 third-period lead and lost 5-4 in overtime.

Celebrini is dealing with a lower-body injury and missed practice on Friday. He is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky was non-committal over whether Celebrini will be on the ice against Anaheim.

“He’s still being evaluated … so, I couldn’t answer that question,” Warsofsky said.

Celebrini scored 7:01 into the game, the second-fastest goal by a No. 1 pick behind Mario Lemieux, who scored 2:59 into his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 11, 1984, against the Boston Bruins.

Later in the period, Celebrini set up Tyler Toffoli for a goal, becoming the youngest player in NHL history (18 years, 119 days) to record two points in the first period of his debut.

Shane Doan held the previous mark at 18 years, 362 days with the Winnipeg Jets in 1995.

“He’s incredible, an incredible talent, works extremely hard,” Toffoli said. “At the end of the day, he wants to win games, too, and he’s going to do whatever it takes.”

San Jose should have better odds against the Ducks, the final NHL team to make their season debut after the Washington Capitals make theirs a few hours earlier on Saturday.

Anaheim is also trying to complete a rebuilding phase that has kept it out of the playoffs the past six seasons.

The Ducks have stocked their roster with several high draft picks, led by Leo Carlsson, the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Mason McTavish went third overall in 2021, Cutter Gauthier went fifth in 2022 and fellow forward Trevor Zegras went ninth in 2019.

Zegras will be counted on most for a bounce-back season.

He missed most of training camp last season while a new contract was being negotiated, then missed 20 games after sustaining a lower-body injury in mid-November.

Zegras returned for eight games, only to suffer a broken ankle on Jan. 9 that cost him another 2 1/2 months. He ultimately played just 31 games, tallying six goals and nine assists, a big drop-off after scoring 23 goals in each of the previous two seasons.

“He’s at that sweet spot,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said of Zegras’s career. “He’s 23. The general consensus is that an athlete is what he’s going to be between 23 and 26.”

Cronin said Zegras has the skill, hands and shot-making ability to be one of the top players in the league.

“That’s his core right now; that’s what his value system is,” Cronin said. “That’s what he demonstrates, so when he goes out to play a game, he wants to demonstrate to his teammates and to the fans, ‘I’m this type of player.'”

Defensively, the Ducks also have some highly touted young players, led by Pavel Mintyukov, the 10th overall pick in 2022. Fellow blueliners Olen Zellweger, 21, and Tristan Luneau, 20, also made the opening-night roster.

Luneau made the team out of training camp last season, too, but in December, an infection in his knee cost him the rest of the season.

“Tristan is in a process of getting timing, game speed and decision-making built (back) into his DNA,” Cronin said. “A kid who was out most of the year just needs experience.”

–Field Level Media