Here’s The Latest Cool Thing That Macklin Celebrini Did

The San Jose Sharks, who own the eighth-best record in the Western Conference, are a top-heavy team with a lot of growing left to do. But my god, what a top. The 19-year-old center Macklin Celebrini, grand prize of the 2024 draft lottery, has launched himself into the mesosphere after a very good rookie campaign last season. Not only does he sit second on the league assist leaderboard and tied for sixth on the goals list, but he's also made a habit of creating jaw-dropping highlights that on their own make the Sharks a worthy watch for a neutral fan. On Wednesday, he was the driving force that earned San Jose a pair of points on the road against their in-state rivals.

The L.A. Kings, current owners of the seventh-best record in the Western Conference, are slogging through a season as one of the league's least-dynamic offenses but have nevertheless racked up enough points to sit above the cut-off line. This contest against the Sharks started very slow, but it was 3-2 Kings after L.A. scored a late go-ahead goal in the third. The Sharks were forced to call goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to the bench for the extra attacker, and Celebrini made his mark.