Welcome to the 2024-25 NHL training camp buzz. Training camp is underway and NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
San Jose Sharks
Macklin Celebrini will play for the San Jose Sharks in their preseason opener against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center in San Jose on Sunday (8 p.m. ET).
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini made his Sharks debut at the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, scoring in a 3-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Sept. 13 in El Segundo, California. He did not play the remaining two games of the tournament.
The 18-year-old center has been skating on a line in camp with Tyler Toffoli and Klim Kostin.
"I'm excited. It's [my] first game in the SAP Center," Celebrini said. "I mean, [we're] playing Vegas, which is crazy."
Celebrini said his father, Rick, will be in attendance for the game.
"It's another opportunity to get ready for the season. We have these preseason games for a reason," Celebrini said. "I'm just going to try to go out, feel it out, get the pace of play, and hopefully get comfortable out there." -- Max Miller
Edmonton Oilers
Darnell Nurse is "confident" he will be ready when the Oilers open the season against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 9, but the defenseman is not certain he will be able to play in any preseason games.
Nurse is still recovering from an undisclosed injury sustained in the Stanley Cup Final but took part in the opening day of training camp on Thursday, participating in all the drills.
"It's a fluid thing," Nurse said. "I'll take it day by day, but I'm feeling good out there."
Nurse sustained the injury in the first period of Game 2 against the Panthers on a hit from forward Evan Rodrigues. Nurse was limited to seven shifts over the course of the rest of the game, but did play the remainder of the series, which Edmonton lost in seven games.
He said the injury affected his offseason routine.
"It kind of forced me to kick my feet up and relax for the first time, and it was good," Nurse said. "For me, I just relaxed got away from everything and reset. It was a great summer."
Edmonton opens the preseason against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
"I absolutely do," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said when asked if he thought Nurse would be ready for the regular season. "I haven't been able to talk to him today, but I think he feels pretty good. I'm very confident he'll play at least two exhibition games." -- Derek Van Diest
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake McCabe, who is entering the final season of a four-year contract, said he has had preliminary discussions with the Maple Leafs on a new contract and is not averse to negotiating during the season.
"I love it here and I think they enjoy my game too so that's why you have agents and now it's training camp time," the defenseman said Friday. "I love it here. We've been chatting and we will see where things go."
McCabe, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on February 27, 2023, had 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 73 regular-season games last season. -- Dave McCarthy
Winnipeg Jets
Ville Heinola is out indefinitely because of an infection in his surgically repaired ankle.
The issue for the 23-year-old defenseman can be traced back to training camp last season when he suffered a broken ankle in the team’s final preseason game. Heinola needed surgery and a screw inserted to repair the injury, which limited him to 41 games with Manitoba of the American Hockey League last season.
“It’s not good,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said Friday. “I don’t know what the next steps are. Doctors are going to have to look at him a little bit more.”
Heinola was on the ice and took part in Winnipeg’s first day of camp on Thursday, but was absent on Friday.
“The last couple of days it’s sort of swollen-up on him and we weren’t sure what it was,” Arniel said. “They looked at it; it’s infected.
“This isn’t day to day, so we will come back around to this in maybe a week or so and see where he’s at. It’s a little bit more serious than we thought.”
A first-round pick (No. 20) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Heinola had 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 41 games with Manitoba in 2023-24. He has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 35 career games with the Jets. -- Darrin Bauming
