Celebrini ‘Shocked’ To Beat Crosby on This Play: What Makes Mack So Good at Puck Battles?

It’s not just that Macklin Celebrini is winning puck battles, it’s who he’s winning them against.

As of last week, the San Jose Sharks’ wunderkind, per SPORTLOGiQ, was leading the NHL in Puck Battles Won per game.

Real deal…
Via @Sportlogiq https://t.co/OVy6Kq0r3a pic.twitter.com/XoFfeWyzYq

— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) November 26, 2024

Celebrini isn’t taking advantage of younger players…the 18-year-old is the youngest player in the NHL.

Celebrini isn’t just bullying smaller players…listed at 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, he’s built solid, but isn’t huge by league standards.

Celebrini isn’t simply feeding off fourth-liners…the San Jose Sharks have not shied away from matching him up against the best players in the NHL.

Speaking of that, Macklin Celebrini cited a puck battle as his favorite moment against his idol Sidney Crosby on Nov. 16 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Notice Celebrini (71) lock sticks with Crosby (87), then the 2024 first-overall’s right skate beat the 2005 first-overall’s to the puck.

“Of course I remember that,” Celebrini laughed, scarcely believing it himself. “That was super-cool for me. I was just playing at the moment, but then I realized who I got the puck from, and I was shocked.”

Moments like this, you remember the future of the San Jose Sharks is just a kid.

Read the full article at NBC Sports Bay Area