Macklin Celebrini can already sense the temperature changing around the Sharks.
Back in San Jose for roughly three weeks before training camp opened, the 20-year-old said the buzz in town feels different this time around. “Walking around, talking to people, people coming up to us on the street, just saying how excited they are about the season. We didn’t really get that the last couple years, so it’s cool to see the excitement from the fans.”
That excitement has a face, and it’s Celebrini’s. He powered a huge leap for San Jose last season, finishing with a franchise single-season record 115 points in his sophomore year. That performance also landed him fourth in Hart Trophy voting and made him a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award.
Now the expectations are higher, and Celebrini isn’t ducking them.
“Make the playoffs. That’s what we’re focused on,” Celebrini said.
“There’s a lot of work to be done and a lot of growing to do. But I think, ultimately, that’s what we’re striving for.”
The Sharks have missed the postseason in seven straight seasons, and one of the biggest themes around camp is how they close that gap. Celebrini has already identified the most obvious place to start: clean up the messes in their own end.
In August, he pointed directly to reducing goals against as the priority.
“We created a lot of offense last year, but letting in goals off mistakes and kind of mental errors hurt us,” he said. “So I think the more we can keep the puck out of our net, I think the better spot we’ll be in.”
The numbers back that up. San Jose averaged 3.04 goals per game last season, good for 17th in the NHL, but allowed 3.54 goals against per game, which ranked third-worst in the league.
Celebrini said he owns a big share of that responsibility, and the area he wants to tighten up most is his own puck management.
“I turned the puck over a lot last year, and some of that goes into decision-making, being smart with the puck, and not making those high-risk plays all the time,” he acknowledged.
That comes with the territory for a player who has the puck as much as he does, but the margin at the top is often tiny. For Celebrini, the next step is about those small refinements that can tilt games and, eventually, the season.
“It’s just that responsibility with the puck, understanding situations and timing in the game,” he said. “I think that we still are a really young group, and that’s what our coaches have tried to preach on us is understanding the time and place for some of those plays.”
He took the blame on himself the way leaders do, but the message around the Sharks is bigger than one player. The team has to clean up the details together if it wants a shot at ending the drought.
Celebrini also touched on a few lighter camp topics, including his recent interview with “Off Campus” actor Belmont Cameli, a recent “NHL 27” promotion with Tyler Toffoli, Ethan Cardwell moving in, and more.
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Marchment Already Looks Like A Crucial Fit For San Jose's Young Core
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There was plenty of bigger-picture conversation around camp, too, as Marchment weighed in on the teams defensive approach and the leadership around the room. Even the routine of the first day felt a little different for him, since this years camp did not include fitness testing, a wrinkle he said was new. For a roster trying to grow up quickly, those small early details can matter, and Marchments presence already looks like one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]