The San Jose Sharks hit the jackpot this summer during the NHL amateur draft. With the first-ever overall pick, San Jose acquired Macklin Celebrini to solidify its future center line, who will join Will Smith. With Celebrini and Smith as the “one-two punch” at center, it’s safe to say the Sharks are in the driver’s seat.
Smith seems to be brimming with talent, to the point where he arguably has the greater raw talent of the two. On the other hand, there’s no doubt that Celebrini is the better prospect overall, having demonstrated not only his defensive efficiency, but also his leadership. He shows so much leadership quality that new Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is already praising Celebrini for it, even though he hasn’t played a single professional game.
https://t.co/fQdRRLJ1tc Warsofsky expects Celebrini to ‘drive our team’ for Sharks this season – NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) August 18, 2024 “He’s so motivated.
I think sometimes we’ll have to slow him down just because he continually wants to go. He’s a super competitive, self-sufficient kid, which is very rare these days, especially at his age.” – Ryan Warsofsky Warsofsky, who took over from David Quinn on June 13 following the latter’s dismissal, wasn’t afraid to praise his skills.
The NHL’s youngest coach (36) was present at the South Carolina Stingrays Fan Fest . He took the opportunity to answer a few questions from the media, and NHL.com ‘s Tom Gulitti put together an excellent piece.
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