The San Jose Sharks have been one of the NHL’s worst teams the past couple of years, but they have some long-term hope after selecting forward Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
On Thursday, Celebrini made his NHL debut and wasted no time in making an impact.
He scored his first NHL goal less than seven minutes into the game, and it was a pretty bizarre play.
As Celebrini made a spinning, backhand pass toward the center of the ice, it bounced off the skate of a St. Louis Blues defender and went into the net to give the Sharks — and Celebrini — the goal.
Celebrini does not project to be a star on the Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin or Connor McDavid level, but he could end up being on the tier below that and be a true franchise-changing, cornerstone player.
That is exactly what the Sharks need.
San Jose was one of the most consistent contenders in the league for the better part of two decades between 1997 and 2019. They have since missed the playoffs in each of the past five seasons (the longest playoff drought in franchise history) and recently started a massive rebuild. Celebrini is the focal point of that rebuild, and he gave Sharks fans a glimpse of their future on Thursday night.
