Macklin Celebrini had quite the game Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets, but the Sharks couldn't pull out a win despite the rookie phenom making franchise history.
Celebrini finished San Jose's 4-3 loss at SAP Center with two points, passing former Sharks winger Jeff Friesen for the most multi-point games in franchise history by an 18-year-old with seven.
With his seventh multi-point game, Celebrini has passed Jeff Friesen for most by an 18-year-old in #SJSharks history.
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) December 18, 2024
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Celebrini notched his first point of the night with an assist on Tyler Toffoli's game-tying goal in the second period.
Tie-ler Toffoli back at it again 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XGYP5F5dyv
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 18, 2024
And then later in the second, Celebrini showed off some Macklin Magic with a no-look goal -- his 11th of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Yer a wizard, Macklin 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/NRNODUbPyd
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 18, 2024
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Celebrini's goal tied him for the NHL rookie lead, even after missing three weeks of the season from Oct. 12 to Nov. 3 with a hip injury.
After the game, Jets coach Scott Arniel sang Celebrini's praises.
“Yeah, we hadn't seen him or [Will] Smith ... some of the young kids they got. Celebrini, he’s dynamic," Arniel said (h/t San Jose Hockey Now's William Espy). "The thing you really notice about him is his compete. He doesn't go to the outside. He doesn't go away from where the battles are. He gets inside. San Jose, they're looking to obviously build around a player like that; you can understand why he was the first-overall pick. He was, he was noticeable, that's for sure."
Despite the Celebrini's efforts, the Sharks ended up on the losing side of a back-and-forth bout with the NHL-leading Jets after allowing Winnipeg to storm back from a 3-2 deficit in the third quarter. San Jose now is 11-18-5 on the season after opening the campaign with nine consecutive losses.
But with Celebrini leading the charge, things certainly are beginning to look up in San Jose.
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