NHL Rookie Buzz: Celebrini could sit out remainder of tournament for Sharks
NHL Rookie Buzz: Celebrini could sit out remainder of tournament for Sharks
No. 1 pick in 2024 Draft healthy, team wants to evaluate other players; Canadiens goalie prospect Miller might be done for season
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With prospect tournaments underway and several NHL teams holding rookie camps, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
San Jose Sharks
Macklin Celebrini will not play against the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff at Toyota Sports Performance Center on Sunday.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft is healthy, but the Sharks want to see other players in the second of three games in El Segundo, California.
Celebrini’s status has not been decided for when San Jose ends the tournament against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. He scored a goal in the opener, a 3-2 victory against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday, and said Sunday he would like to play but understands he may not until the Sharks open main training camp Thursday.
“That’s a [coaching] question, that is not on me,” he said. “I’ll do whatever they tell me to do.”
If Celebrini doesn’t play again, he will be content to watch.
“There’s a lot of great hockey players out there, maybe pick up a few things,” he said.
John McCarthy, coach of the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate in San Jose, is guiding the Sharks at the Rookie Faceoff. He believes Celebrini can continue his maturation by watching for the next two days.
“I think anytime you are watching hockey, for a guy like him, he’s a high-IQ guy,” McCarthy said. “We already talked about his competitiveness. He’s got it.
“The thing that has been impressive to me is he’s a very down-to-earth kid. This year I don’t know if he is going to play with a lot of these guys, but he is still being a good teammate.” — Shawn P. Roarke
Montreal Canadiens
Goalie prospect Quentin Miller will have shoulder surgery next week and could be out for the season for Rimouski of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
The 19-year-old’s recovery time is six months; Rimouski’s QMHJL season begins Friday and ends March 22.
Selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Miller was injured prior to Montreal’s rookie camp this week.
Rimouski, which will host the 2025 Memorial Cup, acquired goalie Samuel St. Hilaire in a trade with Sherbrooke on Saturday. — Sean Farrell
