Sharks rookie center Macklin Celebrini received his player rating for “NHL 25,” and the 18-year-old reacted humbly, as one probably could have guessed.
Game developer EA Sports shared a video of Celebrini and Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard seeing their ratings for the first time Sunday, and it's safe to say that San Jose fans will love to see how their franchise’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft responded.
“Somewhere in the 70s,” Celebrini modestly guessed before knowing his rating. (Note: Bedard was handed an 80 overall before his rookie 2023 campaign.)
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Then Celebrini revealed his player rating.
“This year, my overall rating is … an 82,” Celebrini cheerfully added.
Considering Celebrini didn’t believe he'd be rated that highly, he was more than content with a relatively high number.
San Jose Sharks
“[It is] way better than I thought it would be,” Celebrini said. “So, I’m happy. I hope I can get this a little bit higher in the coming years. But, for now, for being a rookie, I’m pretty happy with it.”
Celebrini’s rating is well deserved. He’s just unpretentious.
Celebrini recorded 32 goals and 32 assists in his lone collegiate season at Boston University. Plus, he looked promising in Sharks training camp and the NHL Rookie Faceoff.
Despite recently downplaying his current and future impact in San Jose, the Jr. Sharks 14U alum is a big deal.
The Sharks were a league-worst 19-54 with 47 points last season. Having Celebrini should make San Jose better on the ice, and his addition already has helped lure veteran star Tyler Toffoli and further stabilize the organization’s young foundation, including Will Smith and Thomas Bordeleau.
Celebrini deserves his player rating of 82. And for those curious, Bedard moved up eight digits with an 88 rating this season.