Sharks rookies Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are finding their groove in the NHL

AP Hockey Writer

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini came into the NHL with a ton of fanfare as the top pick in the draft and the immediate face of the franchise for the San Jose Sharks.

He has a sidekick in Will Smith, another blue chip prospect and hope for the future of the organization who also doubles as his roommate on the road. And those watching Celebrini had to pump the brakes on any hype because of a hip injury that sidelined him for nearly a month following his pro debut.

Back healthy and feeling himself, Celebrini is the league’s rookie of the month and its first star of the week for what he did to end November. Smith is also riding a four-game point streak, and confidence is building for the Sharks’ two most important building blocks a quarter of the way through this season as rookies.

“Obviously, we’re happy for each other whenever we’re producing or playing good,” Smith said. “It’s my first year, it’s Mack’s first year, also ( coach Ryan Warsofsky’s ). As a team, we’ve found kind of a groove here, and we’re trying to keep through it.”

San Jose lost its first nine games, eight of them without Celebrini, and has gone 9-6-3 since that rough start. Celebrini has caught fire with four goals and three assists in his last four games.

The 18-year-old learned of his NHL first star of the week honor minutes after stepping off the ice from practice and before taking off his skates.

“First star of what?” Celebrini said. “In the NHL?”

Celebrini has 14 points in his first 15 games, an average of 0.93 that is tops among rookies. He has also passed Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov as the betting favorite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year on BetMGM Sportsbook.

That goes beyond his production. According to Sportlogiq, Celebrini leads all players in puck battles won per game — ahead of more experienced two-way centers like John Tavares, Sean Couturier and Ryan O’Reilly.

“He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there, and that’s extremely impressive for an 18-year-old in the National Hockey League to go up against some bigger guys,” Warsofsky said. “He puts his nose in there, and he fights for pucks and I think that’s the competitiveness that he has.”

Washington coach Spencer Carbery, tight with Warsofsky since hiring him to coach South Carolina of the ECHL in 2016, probably watches more Sharks games than other teams out West and has been caught off guard by Celebrini’s shot.

“That’s been impressive: his release and how hard it comes off,” Carbery said. “Elite, elite shooter, and then obviously he has a ton of other tools. But that has been maybe the one that I was like, ‘Ooh, I didn’t know he has that type of a release and that pace on his shot.’”

Smith went his first eight games without a point before scoring twice on Oct. 31 against Chicago. The coaching staff has been managing his minutes and kept him out of back-to-backs until the weekend, and the 19-year-old is showing marked improvement with three goals and four assists over his past four games.

“You can tell he’s feeling more comfortable out there,” veteran linemate Mikael Granlund said. “What it looks like is he’s not really forcing anything anymore. He’s such a talented, smart player out there, he’s just got to do the right things all over again and all the sudden the game kind of comes to you.”

Celebrini had 64 points in 38 games at Boston University last season, while Smith had 71 in 41 at Boston College on the way to the NCAA title game. Going from that to the NHL is an adjustment but one the 2023 No. 4 pick was prepared to handle.

“I still came here to win and came here to help this team,” Smith said. “It’s a different level. … You’re in the NHL. It’s the best league in the world, so even if you go a game without scoring and you still have a bunch of chances, it’s still good for your confidence even when it doesn’t go in.”

Also good for the young players is the brain trust available to help, beyond older teammates like Tyler Toffoli and coaches. Celebrini is living with Joe Thornton and Smith with Patrick Marleau, so San Jose’s stars of the past are playing a role in molding the team’s future.

“Just the resources they have from both those players is remarkable,” Warsofsky said.

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