Macklin Celebrini could be getting a golden opportunity at the Olympics in Italy tomorrow, as the 19-year-old phenom was on the top line with the best player in the world, Connor McDavid, at Canada’s first practice, in addition to Tom Wilson. While it is just 1 practice, it does show that Celebrini will get every opportunity to shine at the NHL’s return to the Olympic Games. 

Celebrini has taken the league by storm this season, with his 81 points in 55 games, not only putting him among the top scorers this season, but also putting him on pace to have one of the greatest teenage seasons in history, alongside Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. 

A pairing with McDavid could be lethal; not only can both players skate at an elite level, but they can also think the game at the same pace. If they find chemistry along with a physical presence like Tom Wilson, it could be one of the best lines in Milan.

Even if it is somewhat bittersweet for most Sharks fans, they should be excited to see what their young star can do when playing with some of the best talent in the world over the coming weeks as he continues to build his legacy in his young career. 

In other Sharks Olympic news, Alex Wennberg looks poised to take on a 4th line role for Sweden. The veteran center has been a strong defensive presence for the Sharks down the middle, and a 4th line role should be right down his alley on a stacked Sweden top-9 forward group. 

Regenda (Slovakia) and Kurahsev (Switzerland) will likely be slotted somewhere in their respective countries’ top 9. Regenda has had a breakout season with the Sharks this year. After looking like nothing more than an AHL depth forward after being acquired from the Ducks in a minor league swap, Regenda turned a solid camp into a mid-season call-up, and has 8 goals and 9 points in 16 games this season for the Sharks. Kurashev has been a solid top 9 piece for the Sharks, scoring at a 41-point pace before going down with an injury that sidelined him for the majority of the last two months.

Those are all the players representing the Sharks at this year’s Olympics in Milan.