The San Jose Sharks rookie duo have taken the NHL by storm, both on and off the ice. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith made their NHL debuts on October 10th, 2024 against the St. Louis Blues, where Celebrini had a goal and an assist. The two were paired together during development camp this summer, with it being Celebrini’s first camp and Smith’s second. Celebrini was drafted 1st overall by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL draft and Smith went 4th overall in 2023. The two have quickly become close friends.
Both rookies played NCAA hockey last season, with Smith playing at Boston College and Celebrini at Boston University, making the two rivals for the season. They played against each other four times, Smith getting the best of Celebrini three times. Not only were the boys rivals in school, but nationally too. Smith was born in Lexington, Massachusetts and Celebrini was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
After scoring in his first game, Celebrini would miss the next 12 games due to injury. Smith was pointless throughout his first 8 games and was on a scheduled development program where he was a healthy scratch for a few games. The 19-year-old scored his first two NHL goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 31st, 2024.
Since Celebrini has been back, he and Smith have taken the league by surprise, with both their skills on the ice and their friendship off it. The Canadian has 13 goals and 16 assists in 33 games, while Smith has 6 goals and 8 assists in 37 games. Celebrini is tied for first in goals for NHL rookies in 9 fewer games than Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, who has 13 goals in 42 games.
Being a young teenager playing in the NHL is tough, especially when you’re not used to the lifestyle. Most of the time, rookies are doing it on their own, luckily Smith and Celebrini have each other to go through it together. The two rookies also have the pleasure of living with Sharks legends. The 18-year-old Canadian is living with Joe Thornton and his family this season, while Smith is living with Patrick Marleau and his family.
Off the ice, the two have captured fans' attention with their friendship. The two are often paired together for media, including going to NHL headquarters in New York and filming a few fun TikToks and YouTube videos. The Sharks have also filmed lots of TikToks with them, one of them being the viral “Asking NHL Players Stupid Questions” trend. The rookies have also posted their own viral TikTok on Smith’s account where they recreated the video of LeBron James and his sons playing basketball.
It’s obvious their chemistry off the ice has greatly influenced their chemistry on the ice. They have been playing on a line together for the last few games and the jump in production does not go unnoticed. Both Celebrini and Smith have a primary assist on a goal scored by each of them. The future of the San Jose Sharks looks bright so far.
Edited by Neha Grewal
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