Sharks’ Rookie Macklin Celebrini Progressing Toward Return, Timetable Remains Unclear
San Jose Sharks rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini took an important step during his recovery from a lower-body injury on Thursday, rejoining his teammates for their morning skate ahead of the club’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.
This past summer’s first-overall selection has been cleared by the training staff to resume on-ice activities, the team announced. But they’ve yet to reveal a timetable for his return to game action.
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky spoke to reporters following Thursday’s skate, declaring Celebrini remains week-to-week.
The 18-year-old rookie, who won’t turn 19 until next June, registered the first two points of his NHL career in the Sharks’ season-opener on October 17th – also versus the Blackhawks. He played 17:35 minutes, potting a goal and an assist while winning 13 of his 14 face-off attempts.
Just a few days later, San Jose placed Celebrini on injured reserve, announcing the young forward would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
“As part of his rehabilitation plan, Macklin will return to team activities today,” Sharks GM Mike Grier told reporters Thursday, including the Hockey News’ Max Miller. “He has made positive progress over the past several weeks and this will be the next step toward returning to the active roster. We will continue to monitor his progress but no date has yet been set for his return to game action.”
Celebrini became the youngest player in franchise history to record a goal in his NHL debut. With his marker coming at 7:01 in the first period, he only trails Hall-of-Fame forward Mario Lemieux, who scored at 2:59 in his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984, for the fastest goal in a player’s first game.
Last season, Celebrini scored 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games during his freshman year at Boston University, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player. A few months later, he was the first player selected in the NHL draft, being picked one spot ahead of defenceman Artyom Levshunov, drafted by Chicago.
Following a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks Thursday night, the Sharks – who’ve won three straight – improved to 3-7-2 after losing their first nine out of the gate. Even so, they enter Friday’s slate tied with the second-fewest points at eight, ahead of only Nashville and Chicago – both of whom have seven.
Fellow rookie Will Smith notched his first two NHL goals a night ago, with the 19-year-old centre opening the scoring in the first and securing the game-winner on a power-play in the second period. He played 13:14 minutes, logging the second-highest total of his young NHL career.
Despite enduring a prolonged rebuild, San Jose – which last made the playoffs in 2019, losing in the Western Conference Final – has plenty of exciting young talent to build around in the coming years.
The Sharks will attempt to extend their winning streak to four straight Saturday night at home against the Vancouver Canucks.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Aaron Fullerton. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.