Macklin Celebrini missed the San Jose Sharks’ Friday practice with a lower-body injury and is questionable for the team’s Saturday game, shares Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini struggled with nagging, minor lower-body injuries throughout training camp, though it’s not clear if the two injuries are connected. The latest first overall pick recorded his first NHL goal and assist in his debut on Thursday, sharing stat lines with winger Tyler Toffoli. Celebrini didn’t seem limited in the game, playing through overtime and totaling 17:35 in ice time.
Injury news is the worst thing to hear after Celebrini’s electric debut. At the age of 18 years and 119 days, Celebrini became the youngest Shark to score in his debut. He also became the third-youngest player to record multiple points in his debut, behind Nathan MacKinnon (18 years and 31 days) and Bobby Carpenter (18 years and 86 days). Age-related accolades are far from unfamiliar for Celebrini, who also became the youngest player to win the NCAA’s Hobey Baker ’MVP’ Award last season.
Celebrini made his debut alongside William Smith, who recorded 13:41 in ice time on San Jose’s third line. He failed to score in his debut, despite two shots. Regardless, Smith could stand as the go-to replacement for Celebrini’s top-line role if needed as the Sharks kick off a season of heavily leaning into their prospect pool.