You can count Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr among the many fans and admirers of emerging San Jose Sharks star center Macklin Celebrini.

Celebrini, who is poised to make his Winter Olympic debut with Team Canada later this week, has exploded on to the scene as a Hart Trophy candidate in his second season in the NHL.

His father Rick is a longtime member of the Warriors’ staff, and he currently serves in the role of Vice President of Player Health and Performance.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Kerr said of Celebrini’s emergence and inclusion on Team Canada. “I can’t wait to watch him play in the Olympics, and Rick is heading over there with the family to see him, which is really exciting. I follow it. I look at the box scores every day, and they’re really having a great turnaround season. It’s so fun to see Mack doing so well, especially the context of it all. He was hanging around here as a kid who was about 14, and now all of a sudden he’s in the MVP race in the NHL… It’s always fun seeing Rick and talking to him about the games.”

Steve Kerr is a confirmed Macklin Celebrini HEAD. 🦈

“I look at the box scores every day… he was hanging around here as a 14-year-old kid and now all of the sudden he’s in the MVP race in the NHL.”

Part of Celebrini’s childhood was spending time around the Warriors, and now with the way the NHL Draft lottery shook out in 2024, he’s back in the Bay Area of Northern California helping lead the Sharks back to prominence as his father and the Warriors look to extend the window of contention built around Stephen Curry.

In his second NHL season, Celebrini has 81 points in 55 games as he’s led the Sharks from the basement of the NHL to the playoff picture, as San Jose owns a 27-24-4 record at the Olympic break and stands just two points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Now, Celebrini is skating alongside a fellow first overall pick and three-time Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid on Team Canada’s first line in the practices leading up to game competition in Milan.

Team Canada is in Group A for the tournament along with Czechia, Switzerland and France. Canada’s schedule for the group stage is as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 12 – Czechia vs. Canada, 10:40 AM EST

Friday, Feb. 13 – Canada vs. Switzerland, 3:10 PM EST

Sunday, Feb. 15 – Canada vs. France, 10:40 AM EST