Celebrini is ready for his Sharks debut, the rigors of the 82-game regular season

Macklin Celebrini is ready for this moment. He's been around professional athletes his entire life, watching another No. 1 pick in his rookie season and training with top players to prepare for the rigors of the 82-game tournament.

Still, this is the NHL. The 18-year-old forward said he won't feel completely comfortable when he makes his debut for the San Jose Sharks against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN360).

“I've sort of heard all this verbally, but it's just a matter of experiencing it yourself and really going through it,” he said. “You can talk about it, but every man’s experience will be a little different.”

Celebrini's background is unique.

His father, Rick, played professional football and worked as a physical therapist for several sports organizations. Rick spent four seasons as rehabilitation director for the Vancouver Canucks and is in his seventh season with the NBA's Golden State Warriors, where he is now vice president of player health and performance.

When he was young, Macklin got to skate with some Canucks and shoot at NHL goaltender Mike Smith at the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He was able to watch his father train with NBA star Steve Nash.

“I feel like it was a huge benefit for me to learn from,” he said. “Even though I didn't think about it that way at the time, I look back on it now, some of my memories and some of the things I saw and my dad's stories, they're all realizations and things that I have for myself now can use yourself.” ”

One of Celebrini's teammates was a kid named Connor Bedard. Celebrini watched closely as the Chicago Blackhawks selected Bedard No. 1 in the 2023 NHL Draft. As an 18-year-old last season, Bedard overcame the media attention and high expectations to win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

“It was great to see how he approached everything,” Celebrini said. “Even without really speaking to him, it was easy to pick up on things, learn from them, from his situation, from what he went through.”

After the Sharks selected Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini and Bedard skated together at the North Shore Winter Club. Bedard said he gave him simple advice: just enjoy it.

“He’s a great kid,” Bedard said. “He has a good head and is very mature, so he will handle this well.”