SAN JOSE — Macklin Celebrini came as advertised in his first NHL preseason game for the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
Celebrini had a goal and an assist, both on the power play, always seemed to be around the puck, and looked dangerous on almost every shift in the Sharks’ 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights before an announced crowd of 9,049 at SAP Center.
Celebrini’s goal came at the 6:33 mark of the third period as he one-timed a pass from Luca Cagnoni past Golden Knights goalie Isaiah Saville from near the faceoff dot.
Just 1:24 later, Celebrini, in a similar spot on the ice while San Jose had the man advantage, sent a no-look pass to the front of the Vegas net that winger Tyler Toffoli tapped in past Saville.
Celebrini had two shots on goal and finished with over 18 minutes in ice time against the Golden Knights. And while it was just a preseason game, the 18-year-old Celebrini showed off bursts of speed and the nonstop motor that made him the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft.
In doing so, he gave the Sharks and their fans some reason to believe in the team’s outlook after five non-playoff seasons.
Sunday’s game was the first of six the Sharks will play in the preseason before they open the regular season at home against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 10.
“It’s just another opportunity to get ready for the season,” Celebrini said Sunday morning. “We have these preseason games for a reason, so I’m just going to try to go feel it out, get kind of the pace of play and hopefully get comfortable out there.”
Celebrini centered a line against the Golden Knights with wingers Toffoli and Klim Kostin. The three were also together during the first three days of camp, and Celebrini and Toffoli could also start the regular season on the Sharks’ top line.
“The more you play with someone, you figure out their tendencies and it gets easier to play with them and read off them,” Celebrini said of developing chemistry with Toffoli. “I don’t know if we’re like the Sedin brothers (Daniel and Henrik) yet, but hopefully we can get there.”
Toffoli had 33 goals between his time with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets last season. That total would have easily led the offensively starved Sharks in 2023-24, as Fabian Zetterlund led San Jose with 24 goals, followed by William Eklund and Anthony Duclair with 16 each. Duclair, a pending unrestricted free agent last season, was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in March.
The Sharks’ 2.20 goals per game average last season was second lowest in the NHL. Toffoli, who has 280 career goals, and Celebrini might be counted on to do a lot of heavy lifting offensively.
Still, the Sharks feel with their roster changes, they should have a more balanced lineup.
Celebrini playing on the first unit Sunday with Toffoli, Luca Cagnoni, Mikael Granlund, and William Eklund. The Sharks had Henry Thrun, Kostin, Collin Graf, Quentin Musty, and Jack Thompson on the second unit.
Toffoli, Granlund, Eklund, and Celebrini all figure to be part of the Sharks’ power play this season, either on the first or second units. Last season, San Jose ranked 21st on the man advantage in the NHL at 20.2%.
The Sharks brought back assistant coach Brian Wiseman to once again coordinate the power play.
“It’s like any system,” said Celebrini, who scored a power-play goal for the Sharks in his one game at the seven-team Rookie Faceoff event in El Segundo earlier this month. “It’s tough when you don’t get many touches on it or practice it much. But the more reps we get, the more comfortable we’ll be with each other.”
LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCED: The Sharks will have five alternate captains this season as they officially announced their leadership group.
General manager Mike Grier confirmed at the start of training camp that center Logan Couture would remain the Sharks’ captain for a sixth-straight season. Defenseman Mario Ferraro will be a full-time alternate captain.
Toffoli and Barclay Goodrow will serve as alternate captains for home games, and Granlund and Luke Kunin serve as alternate captains for all road games.