"2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini has been leading the charge and was recently rewarded with being named the NHL's first star of the week. Celebrini already has six goals and ten assists for 16 points in the Sharks' first ten games. That includes a stretch of five goals and five assists in five games played last week including the Sharks' east coast road trip."
"Let's compare Celebrini to the first overall pick immediately before him in Connor Bedard with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks last season, like the Sharks this season, aren't meant to be a playoff team. Yet Bedard's sophomore season was a lackluster disappointment while Celebrini is fitting the billing of being a burgeoning superstar. What's the difference? The easiest answer is roster construction."
"Last season Bedard's teammates were a ragtag group of over agers and players who couldn't match his talent. The Sharks aren't all an All-Star team, but they don't lack offensive firepower either. Celebrini centers the top line between veteran perennial thirty-goal scorer Tyler Toffoli and 2023 first round pick Will Smith who is third on the team with eight points."
San Jose has only two wins and ranks 16th in goals scored, marking an improvement from last season's league-worst finish. Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 first overall pick, has six goals and ten assists for 16 points in ten games and earned the NHL's first star of the week after a stretch of five goals and five assists across five games on an east coast road trip. Celebrini centers the top line with Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith, providing stronger offensive support. Connor Bedard endured experimental line changes and weaker teammates that hampered development; Celebrini's hot start should surpass Bedard's 67-point sophomore season.
Read at Puck Prose
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]