(Arlington, Va.) No matter how many games they win this season, the San Jose Sharks should look better than they did last year.
Obviously, it’s hard to do worse than the 19 wins and 47 points of 2023-2024, the worst performance of an NHL team in the 21st century.e century. But it doesn’t end there.
The face of franchising is finally changing. The faces, rather.
Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith looked great in their teal uniforms Wednesday as they represented the Sharks at the NHL Rookie Showcase, an event hosted by the NHL Players Association in partnership with hockey card maker Upper Deck.
Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, and Smith, the fourth overall pick in 2023, not only represent the Sharks’ top two prospects, they’re also among the league’s most anticipated, period. A ranking published by The Athletic in mid-July had them ranked first and eighth among young players on the verge of establishing themselves in the NHL.
Their arrival in San Jose marks nothing less than the beginning of a new era, which the two forwards are eager to embark on.
“We have an excellent young core, I see great things in the future,” noted Celebrini in a press scrum. “It’s exciting to arrive at the same time [que Will Smith] and see what we can build together.”
The simultaneous arrival of the two prodigies will also mark the reunion of rivals. Celebrini spent last season at Boston University, and Smith, at Boston College.
“I wouldn’t say we were in conflict, but we definitely had a rivalry,” Smith said. “We were talking about it earlier, it’s crazy that we’re on the same team, that we wear the same jersey. It’s really cool.”
PHOTO ABBIE PARR, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Will Smith
Not alone
Celebrini and Smith, moreover, will not be the only young Sharks to help revive a franchise whose star faded at the turn of the 2020s and which has decided to have a makeover.
Shakir Mukhamadullin also made the trip to Arlington for the Rookie Showcase. In his first full season in North America last year, he was the best defender for the Barracudas, the American League’s farm team. We should see him in San Jose in 2024-25.
On the blue line, we’re also expecting Sam Dickinson, one of the most highly regarded defensemen in the most recent draft. Up front, William Eklund, 21, will finally have some reinforcements, after finishing second in scoring for his team last season. And in net, Yaroslav Askarov will finally have the chance to show if he lives up to his reputation as the league’s top goaltending prospect.
“I’m excited to grow with them,” Macklin Celebrini said.
The summer that is coming to an end also showed us that general manager Mike Grier did not want to abandon his club to rookies. He hired Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg on the free agent market and acquired Cody Ceci, Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea through trades. All of these moves “will help the rebuild,” Will Smith said. “It’s pretty cool,” he added, a phrase that we quickly understood would be heard often in the coming years during the young man’s interviews.
“It’s important to have these guys in the locker room,” Celebrini added. “Their presence will be fundamental for the next few years.”
Despite this wind of enthusiasm, the Sharks are not at the end of their troubles. Not yet, in any case. The potential is obvious, but the fruit is not yet ripe. Nevertheless, we can reasonably expect an improvement.
But to what extent? Here, the two young wolves preferred caution.
“We have our own goals for the first year, but it’s a tough league,” Smith said soberly.
“You never know,” Celebrini continued with a smile. “Even the best teams are never guaranteed to win games. I think it will take a few years before we get to where we want to go. I can’t predict the future!”
This is obvious. There are, however, signs that it will flourish.
Shocked by the loss of Gaudreau
Boston native and self-described Boston College Eagles “superfan” Will Smith was devastated by the death of Johnny Gaudreau last week. The forward was a legend at BC, where he played three seasons from 2011 to 2014. “He was my idol growing up,” Smith said. “And I got to hang out with him at the world championships. It’s really tough. He was always smiling, he made us laugh… I’ll never forget him.” The Johnny Hockey nickname “will live on forever,” he said, thanks to Gaudreau’s exploits. “It’s a real tragedy,” he said.