“I’d say we’re getting there — we’re certainly getting there,†said Warsofsky of the 19-year-old engine of his club.
“There are games where you talk to the (other) coach after the game, and they say he’s the best player on the ice. I think that’s his preparation and his drive to be great. And that’s self-driven. I’m not poking him. He doesn’t need to be poked. He gets it going.â€
The kid has been gettin†it goin†alright, surging to the top of the leagueâ€s scoring lead last week before settling in the top five.
To put his 26 points in his first 17 games this season in perspective, consider the fact that Wayne Gretzky is the only other player aged 19 or younger to score more in the same time frame.
In 1980-81, The Great One had 27 points.
Celebrini tied Sidney Crosby (26 in 2006-07) on a list that also includes Steve Yzerman (25 in 1984-85), Jimmy Carson (24 in 1987-88) and Bryan Trottier (24 in 1975-76).
“I think every coach would love a Macklin Celebrini on their team, and he obviously drags guys into the fight,†said Warsofsky, who watched Celebrini spearhead his teamâ€s 6-0-1 run that was stopped by the Flames Thursday.
“His speed and his intensity to defend are obviously contagious, and I think guys have really understood that and seen that. From veterans to our first-year players, they know what it takes. The way he prepares his body to be ready for each game is remarkable for a 19-year-old.â€
As the son of Golden State Warriors VP of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini, the talented product of North Vancouver has learned from the best how to prepare the body and mind for greatness.
Combine that with generational skill, and you have the makings of a player well-positioned to join summertime training pal Connor Bedard as the most likely duo to take over from two other first picks overall, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, as the leagueâ€s poster boys.
“This new generation is just a whole different level of skill and stuff that I was never taught, for sure,†smiled Ryan Reaves, who has seen his share of young stars throughout his NHL journey.
“They’re just taught differently, the way they skate, the way they stickhandle, the way they train, how they eat.â€
And how they conduct themselves.
“Heâ€s definitely not arrogant — I think he carries himself like he should, like a good player in this league,†added Reaves.
“He knows that he’s still young and is very respectful to the older guys. His personality is just right — right where it needs to be.â€
He certainly impressed Team Canada brass with his approach at the summertime confab in Calgary, making it all the more enticing for management to consider adding the red-hot centre when the Olympic team is announced Jan. 1.
As Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong told Tracey Myers of NHL.com earlier this week, Bedard and Celebrini have “got our attention.â€
“But more importantly,†added Armstrong, “theyâ€ve got other participants on Team Canadaâ€s attention, the coachâ€s attention, and hockey in generalâ€s attention, which is great not only for Team Canada, itâ€s great for the game.â€
The Sharks†2-0 loss at the Saddledome Thursday marked just the fourth time in 18 outings Celebrini was held off the scoresheet this season, which is a big reason why the rebuilding Sharks are a surprising 8-7-3.
Plenty has been made of the experience Celebrini had at the World Championships last spring, learning plenty alongside Crosby and current scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon.Â
That, and being another year older, have helped make Celebrini the most exciting sophomore in the game.
“Last year was a lot of new experiences, new teams, kind of getting a feel for everything,†said Celebrini, who finished third in Calder Trophy voting with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games last year.
“I think it’s just more of a sense of comfort this year, like with the team, with guys that we played with last year, itâ€s just a little bit more familiar, I’d say.â€
It has helped him open the year with 10 goals and 16 assists, while averaging 20:32 of ice time a night for a team that just went on a seven-game spree that saw them outscore the opposition 23-10.
“He puts up points every night, he’s been scoring big goals, he’s been carrying shifts, carrying momentum and leading in the locker room,†said Reaves.
“He’s just kind of been doing a little bit of everything — everything that you need your star players to do.â€
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