Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Nico Sturm said out loud what everybody is thinking about Sharks top prospect Macklin Celebrini.
“Down the road, he'll be wearing a letter here in this organization,” the 2022 Stanley Cup winner said.
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Celebrini is showing why, just one week into San Jose's training camp.
It’s not just because he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. It’s not just because of his potentially game-changing skill.
It starts off the ice.
“He's hungry. He's motivated,” Ty Dellandrea said. “We see him working on stuff all the time in the gym.”
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Alternate captain Mario Ferraro echoed Dellandrea when he said, “Just by the brief little workouts that we've done here, you can see how hard he works.”
Celebrini actually reminds Matt Benning of a former Edmonton Oilers teammate.
“Connor [McDavid] was one of the hardest-working guys that I've played with. And the short stint that I've seen of Mack, he's a hard worker. Very self-driven,” Benning, who played with McDavid from 2016 to 2020, said. “I think the self-driven part of it is what I see the most between the two. The humbleness between them both.”
That drive, that motor also has been apparent in practice.
Or, before practice.
“Obviously, you can see his skill and all that, but just the work ethic. Even before practice right now, you can see he's working on his shot, working on extra details with some guys,” Alex Wennberg said.
Of course, during practice.
Celebrini (71) first to the line in bag skate pic.twitter.com/v5ePsI8cdv
— San Jose Hockey Now GIFs (@sjhockeynowGIFS) September 28, 2024
“He’s leading the charge,” Ferraro said of Celebrini being first to the line on the bag skate. “He's got a motor. That's what we've all been saying.”
“His practice habits have been good. He's pushing the pace. He's making us better,” Benning said. “You look around the league, making guys around you better is just one of those things that those top, top players do. And he's a guy that brings it everyday.”
And after practice.
Celebrini last one on the ice after a hard hourlong practice, even the Zamboni is out.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) September 25, 2024
They said you had to throw him off the ice pic.twitter.com/d2t92B2Tgt
“Personally, I just like feeling sharp on the ice. I like just cleaning up some things I'm not happy with,” Celebrini said. “Rest, I understand its importance. But at the same time, I like practicing, getting better.”
“Talking to [head coach] Jay Pandolfo at BU, they have to kick him off the ice sometimes,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in May. “It’s how he plays the game, how he approaches the game.”
“That's who he is, right?” new Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Just a self-driven kid, competitor, wants to work on his craft every time, every moment he can.”
“That's what winners, that's what leaders do,” Sturm said.
“His leadership capabilities will come out over time,” Warsofsky said. “He's more so probably going to lead by just the way he plays, the way he prepares and how he practices, and the pace he practices with.”
“It gives a message that he doesn't want to just be the best of his age or the best of his draft class or this team,” Dellandrea said. “He wants to be the best he can possibly be. The best in the league.”
In Celebrini, the Sharks trust.
“Let Mack be Mack,” Warsofsky said.