Sharks Locker Room: Welcome to Reality, Macklin Celebrini

Welcome to (the reality of) the San Jose Sharks, Macklin Celebrini.

Despite Celebrini’s best efforts — two goals and seven of San Jose’s 26 shots — the Sharks lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild.

The 2024 first-overall pick scored spectacular goals, especially his second strike.

Where we you during Macklin Celebrini's first multi-goal game? pic.twitter.com/e1xrQR0y6w

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 8, 2024

But that wasn’t enough, as San Jose was battered by a simply better team.

“That’s the type of team, hopefully, we can start building in the future,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said of the 9-2-2 Wild. “Heavy, physical, fast team that can get on teams, [that’s] their identity.”

The Sharks aren’t close to that…yet.

That’s not to excuse Celebrini for his share of the loss. The 18-year-old struggled with turnovers, especially in the opening frame. As the team’s first-line center, he has a lot to improve.

This season is all about growing pains, Celebrini included.

Anyway, Celebrini is going to have a lot of nights like this in his rookie campaign, “Celebrini impresses, but the Sharks…”

The important thing for the future of the franchise?

Well, we saw it tonight, even in defeat.

After the game, Warsofsky called out William Eklund, and praised video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward.

Celebrini reflected on facing Marc-Andre Fleury, for the first and perhaps the last time.

Finally, Mikael Granlund got into how the San Jose Sharks can get better.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Sharks’ defensive struggles tonight:

It starts with our breakouts, turn over some pucks, go back with a couple pucks, which we don’t want to do, and then they end up in the back of our net.

Warsofsky, on dropping Eklund to the 4th line: “Need more from Eky.”

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024

Warsofsky, on how William Eklund can get better:

Impact the game. Somehow, some way. He knows that. We’ve talked about it. We’re going to continue to work with him, help him, and get through this.

Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s two goals:

Mack obviously had two goals, but we lost the hockey game, and there’s some things Mack needs to do better and the rest of our group.

Warsofsky says Walman will travel on this road trip.#TheFutureIsTeal flies out tomorrow, I’ll see you all from New Jersey for practice on Saturday

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024

Warsofsky, on what he’d like to emulate about the Wild:

Their heaviness. The way they skate, they get on attack. That’s the type of team, hopefully, we can start building in the future. Heavy, physical, fast team that can get on teams, [that’s] their identity.

Warsofsky, full of praise for his video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward, who got 2 Wild goals waved off tonight: "These guys are super-prepared for every call. They look at it in depth. They look at every call that's made in the National Hockey League, goal scored, not called…

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024

Warsofsky, on the communication flow with video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward:

[Assistant coach] Brian Wiseman is on the radio with them. We obviously have the TVs on the bench, so we look at [that] but they were on it.

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini, on how he’s feeling in his second game back from injury:

I’d be feeling better if we won today.

Celebrini has no interest in talking about himself when the team loses.

On his performance tonight vs. last game: "Better."

On if it's cool to get a couple goals on future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury: "Yeah. I mean, you score to try to help the team win, and we didn't."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024

Celebrini, on how San Jose Sharks can improve defensively:

It comes from all of us, like I made some bad plays today, just not being connected. You got to be connected as a five-man unit on the ice, and when you’re not, especially against players like that, they can take advantage of it. We just got to be, we got to talk more. We got to figure out how to play. We got to play harder. [Not] let them just walk around our zone.

Celebrini, on Marc-Andre Fleury’s last season:

He’s been in the league longer than I’ve been alive, I think. So it’s been amazing to watch his career, obviously, the runs he had with Pittsburgh and Vegas, and even in Chicago and now Minnesota. He seems like a great personality, and it’s been fun to watch his off-ice antics as much as his on-ice.

Mikael Granlund

Granlund, on how San Jose Sharks can improve:

Thing is, we need to get all five guys over the red line with speed to be able to forecheck. If there’s only one guy forechecking, we’re never going to get the puck back. There’s some things we need to be doing better with the puck, so we are able to forecheck or be in a better spot to defend if we lose the puck. Especially in the beginning [of the game], we need to be able to do a better job with that to put other teams on their heels.