SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini didn’t take long to make an impact for the San Jose Sharks.
The 18-year-old rookie scored San Jose’s first goal of the season on his third shift as a pro Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues, signifying a brighter future ahead for a franchise that has been in the doldrums the last five years.
Celebrini’s first career goal was a fortunate one. The former Boston University star came in on a rush and did a spin-o-rama near the boards before trying a centering pass that hit defenseman Matt Kessel’s skate and went past Joel Hofer.
The goal led to a loud ovation and chants of “Celebrini! Celebrini!” from a fanbase that has been starved for success but is energized by a youth movement led by Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and 2023 first-rounder Will Smith.
The debuts for the 18-year-old Celebrini and 19-year-old Smith mark the first time in nearly 26 years that the Sharks had two teens in the lineup and the first time any team had two players picked in the top four of the draft make their debut in the same game since Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did it for Toronto in 2016.
The two got loud ovations when they came on the ice for warmups and Celebrini got one of the loudest ovations during pregame introductions.
The Sharks were one of the most successful franchises in the NHL over a span of 15 seasons, making 14 playoff appearances, five trips to the Western Conference final and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016.
Since getting to the conference final in 2016, the Sharks have missed the playoffs five straight seasons and bottomed out with a 19-win season in 2023-24 when they posted the worst goal differential in a season in 30 years.
The prize for that performance came when San Jose won the draft lottery and the right to draft Celebrini, who had 64 points in 38 games as a freshman at Boston University last season when he won the Hobey Baker award as the top college player.
The pick of Celebrini came a year after San Jose drafted Smith fourth overall and he also joined the NHL after starring at Boston College last season.
While the team on the ice might still be a few years away from competing, the addition of Celebrini and Smith have provided hope to a fanbase sorely in need of it after seeing stars from the previous generation like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson move on in recent years.
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