The San Jose Sharks, who own the eighth-best record in the Western Conference, are a top-heavy team with a lot of growing left to do. But my god, what a top. The 19-year-old center Macklin Celebrini, grand prize of the 2024 draft lottery, has launched himself into the mesosphere after a very good rookie campaign last season. Not only does he sit second on the league assist leaderboard and tied for sixth on the goals list, but he's also made a habit of creating jaw-dropping highlights that on their own make the Sharks a worthy watch for a neutral fan. On Wednesday, he was the driving force that earned San Jose a pair of points on the road against their in-state rivals.
The L.A. Kings, current owners of the seventh-best record in the Western Conference, are slogging through a season as one of the league's least dynamic offenses, but have nevertheless racked up enough points to sit above the cut-off line. This contest against the Sharks started very slow, but it was 3-2 Kings after L.A. scored a late go-ahead goal in the third. The Sharks were forced to call goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to the bench for the extra attacker, and Celebrini made his mark.
Back when he was playing at Boston University, Celebrini got fans of every terrible NHL team excited with plays that were instantly legible as the work of a rare talent. His creativity and his ability to pass through defenders in a flash made him easy to embrace as a potential franchise savior. But that was in college. Even the most optimistic fan would assume some increased level of difficulty for a teenager adjusting to the very highest level of hockey in the world, especially on a roster with such a meager supporting cast. What's been so amazing about this Celebrini season is that there are so many times when he looks just like he did playing against Cornell or UConn. The hype translated to the big time.
Celebrini brought the puck up into the zone with little time to spare. The Sharks produced a chance but didn't convert, and the Kings tried to send it out past the blue line. However, Mack stayed in a good position to seize the clearance before it could exit, and he did the rest himself. He cut quickly to his right to shake Warren Foegele, then slid to his left to avoid Quinton Byfield and move into prime shooting territory. Multiple bodies blocked his view, and Foegele was trying to barge back in from behind. But without hesitation Celebrini fired a shot through three pairs of legs and into the back of the net, then let loose a big grin while Darcy Kuemper wondered where the heck that puck could have come from.
That's not even the end of his tale. In overtime, it was Celebrini who forced a turnover out of some lackadaisical Kings possession and sped down the ice to set up William Eklund for the winner. I love the way he pokes that puck around his opponent and, even after a full shift, is able to accelerate after it like he's the Road Runner on ice.
This dude rocks.
