Celebrini-Thornton Could Be Sharks’ Next Great Rookie-Vet Living Arrangement

It takes a No. 1 pick to know one.

Macklin Celebrini, at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Washington DC on Wednesday, told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com that he’ll be living with Joe Thornton this year.

The 1997 Boston Bruins’ first-overall pick should have plenty of wisdom to dole out to the 2024 San Jose Sharks’ first-overall. Thornton played with the Sharks from 2005 to 2020, and carried the weight of the franchise in both Boston and San Jose.

It worked out pretty well for Jumbo, who retired in 2022, 14th in NHL history with 1,539 points.

The Sharks are hoping some of that rubs off on their teen phenom.

Remembering the spirit of ’97, the Thornton-Celebrini living arrangement recalls Patrick Marleau, who the San Jose Sharks selected second in the 1997 Draft, after Thornton. Teenager Marleau lived with veteran goalie Kelly Hrudey during his 1997-98 rookie campaign.

It worked out pretty well for Patty too.

When Marleau’s jersey was retired by the San Jose Sharks in 2022, Hrudey was one of two Sharks players who shared the stage with Marleau during his jersey retirement ceremony.

“Being able to pick his brain, the knowledge he had from playing for so many years, the ins and outs of the game were so powerful for me at such a young age,” Patrick Marleau said of his mentor. Marleau, a consummate family man, said he also learned a lot about “how everything worked together” in a family with Hrudey, wife Donna, and their three daughters.

Kelly Hrudey also enjoyed the relationship, telling Ryan Cowley of San Jose Hockey Now: “My favorite memory, also, was after a home game, we’d come back to the house and [Patrick Marleau, my wife, and I] would stay up having sandwiches and just talking about life. We’d sometimes stay up till about 3 in the morning and chat about life and stuff and those were just really phenomenal nights.”

Thornton was the other Sharks player with Hrudey on the podium during Marleau’s jersey retirement. Hopefully, Thornton will have that kind of impact on Celebrini’s career.

Celebrini should also be in Livermore plenty, where his family lives.

Fellow top San Jose Sharks prospects Will Smith and Shakir Mukhamadullin are also at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase with Celebrini. Kimelman wrote about Celebrini’s growing friendship with Smith, and Celebrini’s love of hockey cards here.