Macklin Celebrini’s night ended before it really began.
The San Jose Sharks captain and center was scratched from Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury, after taking part in warmups at American Airlines Center. Celebrini skated with the Sharks’ top line alongside Will Smith and Mason Marchment, but left the ice earlier than usual. The team did not immediately say how the injury happened or how serious it is.
Ty Dellandrea, who had been a healthy scratch for the Sharks’ first two games, took Celebrini’s spot in the lineup. That move also shuffled the forward group: Alexander Wennberg moved up to center the top line, while Dellandrea slid into Wennberg’s place on the second line with Ivar Stenberg and Collin Graf.
The rest of the Sharks’ lines stayed intact. Michael Misa remained between Igor Chernyshov and Tyler Toffoli, and Zack Ostapchuk continued to center the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Kiefer Sherwood on the wings.
Celebrini, 20, has led San Jose in scoring in each of his first two NHL seasons and set a franchise mark last year with 115 points in 82 games. His last missed game came on Nov. 2, 2024, when he was still coming back from a lower-body injury. Since then, he had appeared in 153 straight games.
He entered Monday as the Sharks’ leading scorer with five points, all assists, in two games. He also led the team in ice time at 22:20 on average as San Jose opened the season with overtime wins over the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings.
The Sharks are set to practice Tuesday in Dallas and Wednesday in St. Louis before facing the Blues on Thursday to finish their two-game road trip.
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Joe Thornton has quietly become part of the next chapter for the Sharks, opening his home to rookies Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg as they get their footing in the NHL. For a franchise still trying to climb back toward relevance, that kind of mentorship from one of the most important players in team history carries real weight, especially with Celebrini already named captain after arriving as the 2024 first overall pick.
Thornton has also had plenty of reason to reflect on his own legacy lately, with his selection to the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026 adding another honor to a career that still resonates deeply in the market. Between his praise for both young players and the way he has embraced helping them settle in, Thornton has only added to the sense that San Jose's future feels more connected than it has in years. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks May Be Forced Into A Tough Macklin Celebrini Test
Macklin Celebrinis status has become the latest concern for a Sharks team trying to sort out its lineup before Thursdays game against the St. Louis Blues. The young center is dealing with a lower-body injury, has now missed practice for two straight days and remains day-to-day, with a re-evaluation coming before puck drop.
If Celebrini is unable to go, the Sharks would have to make a significant adjustment down the middle. Will Smith is the expected next man up for the top-line center role, a move that would shift the look of the clubs first unit and force San Jose to lean on its depth in a meaningful spot. [Read more 🡒]
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The group includes a mix of signed players and non-roster invitees, giving the staff a wide enough pool to evaluate roles, chemistry and immediate fit. Among the names on the list are Corinne Schroeder, Laila Edwards and Rory Guilday, the sort of early building blocks that should help define what San Jose looks like when the roster starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]