San Jose Sharks not surprised by Macklin Celebrini’s Olympic success

SAN JOSE — San Jose Sharks heart Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL participant competing within the males’s hockey event on the Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina.

All the 19-year-old Celebrini has completed to date is turn out to be the occasion’s second-leading scorerproper behind linemate Connor McDavid, whereas serving to a stacked Canadian staff advance to Friday’s semi-finals.

None of which surprises his Sharks teammates.

“He’s the best player in the world, and he’s proving it,” Sharks winger Ryan Reaves mentioned of Celebrini. “That’s what the best players do.”

Celebrini, within the largest sport of his life thus far, had three factors — together with the first help on Mitch Marner’s time beyond regulation winner — as Canada earned an exhilarating 4-3 quarterfinal win over Czechia on Wednesday at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

In the 3-on-3 time beyond regulation, Celebrini despatched a drop move to Marner, who danced via three Czechia defenders — together with former Sharks defenseman Radim Simek — earlier than his backhand shot beat goalie Lukas Dostal on the 1:22 mark of the 10-minute additional session.

Marner’s aim despatched his teammates streaming onto the ice in celebration, and the Canadians into the semifinals towards Finland, who got here again to beat Switzerland and Sharks ahead Philipp Kurashev 3-2 in time beyond regulation. Kurashev had an help within the loss.

Sharks winger Pavol Regenda is within the different semi-final after scoring twice to assist Slovakia beat Germany 6-2. Slovakia will play the United States, which beat Sweden 2-1 in time beyond regulation on a aim by Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Regenda and Slovakia will both play for gold on Sunday or for bronze on Saturday.

“Obviously, I’m rooting for Canada as a Canadian, so it’s good to see Celebrini do well,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro mentioned. “Not solely is he doing nicely, however he is among the best gamers within the event.

“Not just him, it’s other guys, too, throughout our lineup. It’s good for us as a team, and hopefully a good confidence builder for guys coming back here.”

Despite this being simply his second NHL season, Celebrini has turn out to be an integral a part of Canada’s loaded roster. He entered the Olympics because the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 81 factors in 55 video games, and thru the preliminary spherical and quarterfinals, he has 5 objectives and 4 assists.

While Celebrini’s sterling play to date has maybe opened some eyes throughout North America and the world, it is not a revelation to anybody in San Jose.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Sharks winger Collin Graf mentioned. “We see it maybe a little more than other people, just because we see it in practice and in every game. But I don’t think anyone in this room was surprised.”

Celebrini has been alongside McDavid – a three-time Hart Trophy winner because the NHL’s MVP – because the begin of the event final week. Those two have been joined at occasions by Nathan MacKinnon, placing three of the NHL’s prime 4 scorers on one line.

Celebrini scored on the 3:05 mark of the primary interval off an help from McDavid, and the pair then assisted on MacKinnon’s power-play aim that tied the sport 2-2 on the 12:16 mark of the second interval.

Celebrini now has a aim in each sport he is performed in Milan and is 2 factors again of McDavid for the general scoring lead.

“I thought McDavid was playing with (Celebrini), to be honest,” Reaves mentioned with a smile when requested about Celebrini taking part in with McDavid and MacKinnon. “But that line is out of control. That’s got to be, if not the best, one of the best lines ever created in Olympic history or hockey history, to be honest. It’s fun to watch those guys.”

Celebrini’s 9 factors for the event moved him previous Evgeni Malkin for probably the most factors by an adolescent in a single Olympic event with NHL gamers. Malkin, the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins star, had six factors in seven video games for Russia throughout the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy.

Celebrini additionally turned the fourth participant to report a aim in 4 consecutive Olympic video games that includes NHL gamers, becoming a member of Marian Hossa (2006 with Slovakia), former Shark Teemu Selanne (2006 with Finland), and Mats Sundin (2002 with Sweden).

“He’s just an ultra-competitor, a gamer,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned of Celebrini. “It doesn’t seem like he gets too overwhelmed by moments, and we’re seeing that right now.”