Celebrini or Schaefer To Start Franchise? NHL Coaches, Scouts & Executives Choose

“Can I pick both?”

“Do I have to choose?”

When asked between choosing the San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini or the New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer to start a franchise, those were common refrains.

But in the end, over two dozen current and past NHL coaches, scouts, and executives, none with the San Jose Sharks or Islanders right now, picked one.

“That is as hard a choice as you can have in this sport right now,” one coach said.

San Jose Hockey Now also asked if any other U23 players belonged in this conversation.

“Those are the [only] choices,” one scout said, which was the consensus.

Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson was mentioned by a couple sources as a not-so-close third in this conversation…and that’s it.

So what do Celebrini and Schaefer’s head coaches think?

Of course, they’re going to pick their own player, but both shared their thoughts about the other team’s teen franchise face.

“Man, he’s impressive out there. From nothing, he creates a lot of offense. He’s got a really good shot, moves the puck well,” Islanders head coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy said about Celebrini. “What’s impressive is to see how hard he works shift after shift after shift.”

“He can move pucks. He’s creative on the offensive blueline. He can get up in the rush. He’s almost a fourth forward out there. But then, on the flip side of it, you can tell he cares about defending. He cares about getting better,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said about Schaefer. “He’s a competitor. He wants to win. He drags guys into the fight by his personality…You’ve heard some things that have come out of there, how special of a human being he is…he’s got real good attributes for leadership.”

All said, Celebrini won the poll by a landslide, 21-5. But it was as close as an essentially 4-to-1 vote can be.

“It is very close,” an executive said. “After next year, I might switch to Schaefer.”

Here’s what some of the coaches, scouts, and executives said.

Read the Full Article at NBC Sports Bay Area