VANCOUVER, British Columbia — When San Jose Sharks rookie centerman Macklin Celebrini was youthful, he and his older brother, Aiden, typically bought to skate on the ice floor at Rogers Enviornment.
They typically imagined themselves enjoying an NHL recreation in entrance of 1000’s of followers.
“It was probably (from) eight to 12,” Celebrini, a North Vancouver native, stated of his age on the time. “Aiden and I would hop on the rink and battle it out.”
Celebrini was again contained in the downtown Vancouver area on Sunday. That dream of enjoying an NHL recreation on that ice floor will come true Monday when the Sharks play the Canucks of their remaining recreation earlier than Christmas break.
“It’s a little weird,” Celebrini stated throughout a 15-minute question-and-answer session with a couple of dozen media members inside the sector. “Skating here when I was younger, kind of trying to put myself in an NHL player’s situation or shoes and pretend to be them, and now to practice here and get ready for the game tomorrow, it’s pretty surreal.”
Celebrini’s father, Rick, used to work for the Canucks in well being sciences, which means the youngsters would typically be inside the sector for video games.
“We’d kind of go into the family room, and between periods or after the game, you’d kind of peek your head out and try to see if you can see a guy or two,” Celebrini stated. “I remember, I saw Sid (Crosby) one time in the hallway, and me and my brother were kind of freaking out there, and we saw the Sedins walking by and stuff.
“Those are the memories that kind of stick with you,” Celebrini stated, “especially because we were big fans when we were younger.”
Celebrini could have dozens of family and friends members in attendance Monday, together with his dad and mom; Aiden, a Canucks prospect; and his two youthful siblings, brother R.J. and sister Charlie. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports activities drugs and efficiency, took a while away from Golden State’s highway journey to be in Vancouver.
“Every time I was here, I’d want to skate and kind of get out on that ice just because the NHL has always been a dream of mine,” Macklin Celebrini stated. “To do that as a kid was pretty cool, and tomorrow’s going to be pretty cool as well.”
It’s clear that Vancouver nonetheless holds a particular place in his coronary heart.
Celebrini may now be the San Jose Jr. Sharks’ most well-known alumni, having put up staggering statistics for the South Bay youth hockey membership as a 13-year-old throughout the 2019-2020 season.
What’s maybe much less recognized is how troublesome it was for Celebrini at such a younger age to depart his hometown for the Bay Space. Rick was given a terrific alternative with the Warriors, then one of many NBA’s greatest groups, nevertheless it was nonetheless a significant adjustment for a child who solely knew about life within the Decrease Mainland.
“I was sad. I didn’t want to leave,” Celebrini stated. “It’s my hometown and I was here my whole life, so making that move wasn’t easy.”
After spending one yr in San Jose, Celebrini moved to Faribault, Minnesota, and spent two years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a boarding college recognized primarily for its powerhouse hockey packages. He then spent a yr with the Chicago Metal within the USHL earlier than transferring on to Boston College, the place he turned the youngest-ever winner of the Hobey Baker Award as faculty hockey’s high participant.
Proper now, simply 24 video games into his skilled profession and 6 months faraway from being the No. 1 participant taken on the NHL Draft, Celebrini has already develop into massively necessary to the Sharks with 23 factors in 24 video games.
“He’s already probably our best player, to be honest,” Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli stated.
Macklin Celebrini’s path began in North Vancouver about 15 years in the past when Rick Celebrini and his spouse, Robyn, moved into the suburb. It simply so occurred that their new house was close to the North Shore Winter Membership, an expansive sports activities facility that includes swimming, racquet sports activities, health facilities and a number of other sheets of ice.
The Celebrini’s didn’t got down to transfer near the North Shore Winter Membership, however Rick stated it wound up being “our sort of cul de sac, so to speak, or our open ice or outdoor ice.
“And it was just such an incredible environment for the kids,” Rick Celebrini informed ABC7 in June earlier than the Sharks drafted Macklin. “You would drop them off there in the morning, and they would stay there, sort of a safe place that they could jump on the ice, come off, grab something to eat, jump in the pool, jump back onto the ice, and it was just such an incredible environment for them.”
The North Shore Winter Membership additionally counts ex-Sharks gamers Evander Kane, Martin Jones and Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch amongst its alumni.
“I’ve talked a couple of times about how special that place was to me when I was younger,” Macklin Celebrini stated. “It’s a big reason why I am where I am, the availability of the ice and the opportunities that it gave us.
“I don’t think there’s many places like it, so growing up, it was an amazing resource for me and all the other kids I grew up with.”
Celebrini figures to be again in Vancouver a number of extra occasions in his NHL profession. This primary go to again, although, is exclusive.
“It’s my hometown,” Celebrini stated when requested how a lot Vancouver means to him. “So, a lot.”
Initially Revealed: December 22, 2024 at 5:46 PM PST
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