Macklin Celebrini is ready for this moment. He has been around professional athletes his entire life, watched a fellow No. 1 pick navigate his rookie season and trained with top players to prepare for the rigors of the 82-game grind.
Still, this is the NHL. The 18-year-old forward said he won’t feel completely comfortable when he makes his debut for the San Jose Sharks against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN360),
“I’ve kind of verbally heard it all, but it’s just experiencing it for myself and really going through it,” he said. “You can talk about it, but every guy’s experience is going to be a little different.”
Celebrini’s background is unique.
His father, Rick, played pro soccer and has worked with several sports organizations as a physiotherapist. Rick spent four seasons as director of rehabilitation for the Vancouver Canucks and is in his seventh season with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, for whom he is now vice president of player health and performance.
When he was young, Macklin got to skate with some of the Canucks and shoot on NHL goalie Mike Smith at North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He got to watch his father work out with NBA star Steve Nash.
“I feel that was a massive benefit for me just to learn from that,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t thinking about it like that at the time, looking back on it now, some of my memories and some of the things I saw and my dad’s stories, it’s all learning and stuff I can use for myself now.”
One of Celebrini’s teammates growing up was a kid named Connor Bedard. Celebrini watched closely when the Chicago Blackhawks selected Bedard No. 1 in the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard handled the media attention and high expectations as an 18-year-old last season, winning the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
“It was great to see how he approached everything,” Celebrini said. “Even without really talking to him, (it was) just picking up on things, learning from it, from his situation, kind of what he went through.”
After the Sharks selected Celebrini No. 1 in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini and Bedard skated together at North Shore Winter Club. Bedard said he gave him some simple advice: Just enjoy it.
“He’s a great kid,” Bedard said. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and is very mature, so he’s going to handle it great.”