© LA Kings

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Macklin Celebrini did not disappoint in his debut with the San Jose Sharks.

The center, selected No. 1 by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft, was dominant at times and scored a third-period goal in a 3-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff at Toyota Sports Performance Center on Friday.

The 18-year-old said it didn’t take him long to feel at home with the Sharks.

“It felt really good,” Celebrini said. “Especially getting changed before the game and [skating] in warmups. Putting the jersey on, it kind of became real.”

Once he pulled the white Sharks jersey over his head, the butterflies seemed to disappear, and he settled into his game.

His performance was a sight to behold, one that even Hockey Hall of Fame member and Sharks legend Joe Thornton couldn’t miss. The retired center, who will have Celebrini live with him this season, sat with general manager Mike Grier and other members of San Jose management on the concourse.

Ryan Warsofsky, who will be the first-year coach of the Sharks this season, watched the game from the stands, getting a close look at the players who can shape the future of the organization.

“I thought he got better as the game went along,” Warsofsky said. “Scores a big goal. I thought he was real noticeable all night.”

Celebrini’s teammates noticed.

Ethan Cardwell, who scored the winning goal, is the most experienced San Jose player at the Rookie Faceoff. The 22-year-old forward, who is entering his fourth training camp with the Sharks, started the game on the third line. He moved up for some shifts on Celebrini’s wing in the third period and was gobsmacked at times.

“He’s an incredible player,” Cardwell said. “He plays with so much pace, sees the ice well. I was getting passes that I didn’t think could come through in certain spots and stuff. He really opens up the ice for other players out there.

“You have to put your head on a swivel and be ready because he’ll make passes when you least expect it.”

The opposition noticed.

Utah forward prospect Owen Allard played with Celebrini for Canada during the 2024 World Junior Championship. Celebrini had eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games in that tournament.

“Obviously, you know, he’s an amazing player,” Allard said. “I mean, he’s super skilled, and he’s kind of that player that just catches your eye every time he’s on the ice. It was really cool to be able to play with him in Sweden for the World Juniors.

“But playing against him, I think, was even just as fun. He always brings his best every shift and when you’re playing against him, you know you’re going to get better because he’s such a good player.”

His coach Friday noticed.

“The way he played the game, the puck is on his stick almost every time he is on the ice,” said John McCarthy, the coach of San Jose’s affiliate in the American Hockey League. “He controls the game when he is on the ice. It was good to see him get the goal.”

The only one who wasn’t totally impressed, it seems, was Celebrini.

“It was the first game, so I didn’t think I was very good. There are still some wrinkles,” Celebrini said. “It’s tough to come into a tournament like this with only a few days of practice and then play well.”

He played pretty well on the goal, which tied the game 2-2 on the power play at 6:01.

Celebrini won a face-off and then circled to the left-hand boards and out into the circle. Defenseman Luca Cagnoni found him with a pass in the right circle, and Celebrini deked a shot to change the shooting angle before ripping a snap shot from the high slot past Anson Thornton.

“Big power-play goal,” San Jose forward Will Smith said. “That was the turning point of the game.”

And that folks is a…

MACKLIN CELEBRINI GOAL pic.twitter.com/T9vrXPVlCY

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 13, 2024

Celebrini had 32 goals in 38 games with Boston University last season, so goal-scoring is not a foreign concept, but Celebrini was playing against a Utah lineup featuring several top prospects, most of whom were two or three years older.

Celebrini looked like he belonged from the start. He centered the top line with wings Carson Wetsch and Kasper Halttunen, finished with five shots on goal and made some jaw-dropping passes.

He was just as good on the other side of the puck, too. Celebrini was strong on the backcheck throughout the game and played solid defense. Late in the game, he was playing the point on the power play and broke up a 1-on-1 counter rush by Allard.

“Really good defensively, we knew that,” McCarthy said. “He’s a complete 200-foot player. For a kid his age to compete on the other side of the puck like that is important to our group. I thought he was good tonight.”

The Sharks have two more games in this tournament, which runs through Monday: against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, and against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. It’s unclear if Celebrini will play in either; McCarthy said the staff would discuss it Saturday.

It doesn’t matter. Celebrini showed enough here Friday to bring the excitement to the next level.

“Macklin’s obviously a special player, which we know,” Warsofksy said, “but to see him at this level was good for us as a staff.”