Celebrini Talks Going to World Championships, Why Sharks Should Be Attractive to Free Agents

There are no days off for Macklin Celebrini.

That’s hyperbole, of course, but it was striking to see Celebrini on the ice, a day after the end of the San Jose Sharks’ regular season.

The only Sharks on the ice were Celebrini and Jack Thompson, who’s coming back from injury and ramping up to join the San Jose Barracuda in the playoffs.

Of course, Celebrini still has his own hockey to play too: He confirmed what was a given, that he would be representing Team Canada at the World Championships.

Individually, could the 2024 No. 1 pick’s rookie season have gone any better?

He led all rookies with a 0.9 Points Per Game average. His 63 points was tied with Matvei Michkov for second among all NHL rookies, behind only Lane Hutson’s 66. His 25 goals was also second among all rookies, just behind Michkov’s 26. He impressed on both sides of the ice and was the San Jose Sharks’ clear-cut No. 1 center by the end of the season.

About the only thing that he could’ve done individually was play the 12 games that he missed because of an early-season hip injury, an absence which might cost him the Calder Trophy.

But besides that, he showed all the makings of a genuine superstar, both on the ice and with his work ethic.

The San Jose Sharks were a last-place team once again with just one more win and five more points than last season’s 47 points, but the future feels a lot brighter for the franchise, chiefly because of Celebrini.

Celebrini shared what he wants to improve in his game next year, living with Joe Thornton, the World Championships as an audition for the Olympics, and what he’d say to other players to get them to join him with the San Jose Sharks.

Celebrini, on how he would assess his rookie year:

It’s a lot of ups and downs, but you just try to learn from it as best as you can. We don’t want to be in this position again next year. Just want to take this feeling and this energy around the locker room and push it in the right direction.

Celebrini, on how close he’s gotten with Will Smith this year and how it helps him get used to the NHL:

You don’t really think about it, but it’s kind of what happens when you spend everyday together. It’s great. We have a bunch of guys that were a little bit younger and don’t have family nearby, so we hung out. That just makes the season go by a little bit quicker and makes it a little bit more enjoyable.

Celebrini, on his highest and lowest moments this season:

We had a couple of good stretches where we were winning games, we had a couple of fun road trips where we bonded as a team, got together and had some team dinners. That’s kind of what it’s all about—you’re in it with the guys in this locker room, and to be able to bond like that and have some fun, I think that’s really important.

Some lowlights, we only won 20 games this year, so there were a lot of tough nights where we weren’t really in the game or we were losing. Hopefully, there’s less of that in the future here.

Celebrini, on how the San Jose Sharks can start winning the many close games that they lost this season:

We had a lot of roster changes this year, which makes it a little bit difficult. We just have to find a way to close out games, whether that’s smarter playing, staying on them, keeping it out of our D-zone. Whatever it may be, I think we have to find a way to get over that hump and push those games through.

Celebrini, on how he feels compared to day one of training camp:

Over the course of the year, I was learning from a bunch of the guys. We had a lot of really good veterans that I was able to talk to and I just did my best to try and figure out how to navigate this league. I had a lot of support with some of the guys here.

Celebrini, on what Tyler Toffoli meant to him:

He was great. He’s a guy that’s been on a winning team in LA—I mean, every team picks him up for the playoffs, and there’s a reason why. He has a knack for scoring goals, and every guy you talk to, they’re going to say he’s a great guy and it’s fun to be around him. I think that’s why he got brought here for us. It’s awesome to get to know him and build that relationship.

Celebrini, on what he wants to be better at from day one next season:

Personally, a lot of my turnovers and plays that I force, I don’t really think that’s something I’m very proud of. I turn over a lot of pucks, give up a lot of opportunities, so that’s something I gotta clean up and work on. It starts with me, we’re not going to win games if we’re doing that.

Celebrini, on what he would say to persuade players at Worlds to come to San Jose:

Yeah, maybe. I mean, everyone’s kind of got their own thing going on, but I think you can see that even though we’re in the position we’re in, we’re having a lot of fun. You enjoy coming to the rink every day—it’s tough when you’re losing, and we’re not happy when we lose those tough games, but we do a good job regrouping and still having fun. It’s not going to be like this for much longer, so get in early.

Celebrini, on how much the losses piled up throughout the season:

It sucks. Like you said, it’s the most I’ve lost in my short career so far. No one likes losing, it’s not fun. It’s not fun being down by four or five goals, it’s not fun coming out of the game and feeling like you weren’t really ever in it. We have guys that kind of led the charge, and I think as a group, we regrouped and talked through some things, but it’s never easy.

Celebrini, on how he sees other players balance taking risks and avoiding turnovers:

They’ve obviously been in this league for a lot longer than I have, and that’s part of growing. I didn’t watch [Sidney Crosby types] as rookies, I was too young, but just watching them now, they play the right way—they know where to put the puck and when to hold onto it, and I think that’s something I have to learn and that’s something I’m trying to work on.

Like you said, I’m never turning over the puck because I was trying to do something selfish, I was just trying to make the best play possible or the right play in my mind.

Celebrini, on staying with Jumbo this year:

It was great. Every day is a good day [with him], and that really helps with the situation we’re in. Every time I came home, there was something going on.

I didn’t really talk to him about the [hockey] season, but it was just great to be around him.

Celebrini, on where he’s going to live next year, if it will be with Smith:

We haven’t really talked about it yet. I haven’t really figured out what we’re going to do next year.

Celebrini, on whether the team got better towards the end:

With some of the guys we lost, I still feel like we did a good job. Every game, we’re pushing, we went into every game wanting to win and tried our hardest to get the outcome. I thought, as a team, we built that chemistry close to the end of the year, but obviously, it was a little bit too late.

Celebrini, on his plans after Worlds:

I’ll go back home, relax, and have fun.

Celebrini, on what he looks forward to being in the tournament:

I can’t wait. This year with the Olympics coming up, it’s going to be a high-level tournament with a lot of NHL talent and a lot of other countries bringing their best players that they’re going to need for the Olympics. I can’t wait, it’s going to be some good hockey.

Celebrini, on whether he sees it as an audition for the 2026 Olympics:

Yeah, possibly.

Celebrini, on if he plans on paying attention to the Draft lottery:

Yeah, that’s the future of our organization and something that affects all of us, so I’ll be watching.

Celebrini, on his thoughts being the center of attention this year:

It’s professional sports, and I grew up watching interviews of my favorite players and wanting to know what they thought about their game, their season, and stuff like that. I’m not saying that I have the same thing, but it’s just part of it.

Special thanks to Maddie Dutra for her help transcribing