SAN JOSE – Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns said his positive experiences with the Jr. Sharks made it easy for him to recommend the youth hockey program to Dr. Rick Celebrini nearly seven years ago.
As Burns enjoyed a prolific career with the Sharks last decade, his son, Jagger, skated with the Jr. Sharks at various levels.
When Jagger was around seven years old, Burns heard from Celebrini, who was seriously considering a move from Vancouver to the Bay Area to lead the Golden State Warriors’ sports medicine department.
Celebrini wanted assurance that the San Jose youth hockey program would be challenging enough for his oldest sons, Aiden and Macklin. The younger of the two, Macklin, was a prodigy, and needed to be pushed to help with his development.
Burns had positive things to say.
“There were a lot of different reasons for his family to make it work, the distance and everything, being around here,” Burns said Thursday at SAP Center before the Hurricanes played the Sharks. “My kid was pretty young, so it’s changed a lot since I’ve been here. It’s fun to see those kids. I’ve seen them play in a couple of different states now, running into them.
“Everything about the area and the organization, it’s great. It’s fun to come back and see all of the faces, and it was a special group, just a lot of great people around.”
“It was important (Macklin) be challenged,” Rick Celebrini told the Associated Press last year of the Jr. Sharks. “It was a good group.”
Burns’ recommendation helped the Celebrinis finalize their decision, but perhaps there wasn’t much of an alternative. Before he spoke with Burns, Rick Celebrini also considered a job with the San Antonio Spurs, but that did not last.
“We visited San Antonio,” Rick Celebrini said. “There’s no real youth hockey.”
The die was cast, and during the 2019-2020 season, Macklin Celebrini had 101 points, including 54 goals, in 61 games for the 14U AAA Jr. Sharks, and Aiden, a right-shot defenseman, had 20 points in 56 games for the 15U AAA Jr. Sharks. Aiden also had 22 points in nine games for Willow Glen High School.
Rick Celebrini is now the Warriors’ vice president in charge of player health and performance. Macklin, who was selected first overall at the 2024 NHL Draft, entered Thursday’s date against Burns and the Hurricanes as the Sharks’ leading scorer with 50 points in 56 games.
CALDER TALK: Hurricanes players and coach Rod Brind’Amour raved about the 18-year-old Celebrini, who is among the leading candidates to win the Calder Trophy this season as the NHL’s top rookie.
When the Sharks played the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Dec. 10, Celebrini had a giveaway that led to Carolina’s game-winning goal, but also had an assist and led all San Jose forwards with 22:39 in ice time. He was also credited with three hits while winning eight of 14 faceoffs.
Asked about Celebrini, Brind’Amour said he doesn’t usually watch the Sharks play on the West Coast, “but live, he’s a difference maker.
“There’s certain players in the league, and teams have them, and you know who they are, but (Celebrini) needs to be put in that conversation where he gets the puck, something good is going to happen or has the potential to happen. When you have that for 20 minutes a night or whatever, you know that’s a special player.”
Other strong candidates for the Calder Trophy this year are Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, a Gilroy native, and Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov.
Entering Thursday, in 67 games, Hutson led all rookies with 53 points while averaging 22:20 in ice time per night, and Michkov had 47 points. Wolf was a primary reason why the Flames, the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, were still in a playoff hunt, as he had a 22-14-5 record and a .912 save percentage in 41 games.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on the Calder Trophy.
“I don’t quite take a peek at (the Calder race), but I’m sure (Celebrini) is probably leading the pack. Rightfully so,” Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis said. “He’s had a really good year.”