LOS ANGELES \u2014 If you want to learn about Macklin Celebrini, don\u2019t ask Macklin Celebrini.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took over that game there,\u201d San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said, after Celebrini, with 1:07 left in the game, scored the unassisted game-tying goal, then assisted on William Eklund\u2019s OT winner.<\/p>\n
The OT winner \u2014 Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Naturally, that\u2019s not how Celebrini described his game-tying goal: \u201c[They] tried to rim it out and [I] tried to keep in and then try to make a play.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a little more than \u201ca play\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just danced that guy,\u201d Eklund said. \u201cEnough can\u2019t be said about [Celebrini].\u201d<\/p>\n Eklund added, about his game-winner: \u201cObviously, if you\u2019re open, Mack is gonna find you.\u201d<\/p>\n The San Jose Sharks have a confidence that they haven\u2019t had in years, and a lot of it is because of the Notorious H.U.M.B.L.E..<\/p>\n \u201cThe stuff that he does on the ice, and the way he competes, the skills and what he does, his God-given talent, is one thing,\u201d Warsofsky said, \u201cbut the way he drags our players into the fight, that\u2019s what special players do, and that\u2019s what\u2019s most impressive to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Celebrini has done more than drag his 22-18-3 team, first wild card spot, into the playoff fight. He\u2019s dragged the entire organization into it, changing the timeline for the rebuild.<\/p>\n Celebrini turning a loss into a win in Los Angeles is a microcosm of that.<\/p>\n The San Jose Sharks have, ahead of schedule, one of the best players in the world. You have to plan accordingly and get the 19-year-old help right now.<\/p>\n That\u2019s as good as reason as any that there are rumors the Sharks are looking to add a veteran scorer like Kiefer Sherwood<\/a>. Or why San Jose chose to re-sign pending UFA Alex Wennberg<\/a>, instead of dangling him for a top pick or prospect.<\/p>\n Getting Celebrini more help two years from now \u2014 perhaps the plan before \u2014 is wasting two years of his prime.<\/p>\n \u201cSitting with the coaches in there, it\u2019s the first time in my four years, where there\u2019s this emotion in our locker room. It\u2019s hard to even put into words, the feeling that we get after that type of game, that emotional win. But there\u2019s some real good stuff going on right now,\u201d Warsofsky, who was an assistant coach under previous Sharks head coach David Quinn from 2022 to 2024, said. \u201cWe\u2019re definitely making steps in the right direction of where we want to get to as an organization. And credit to the group that they\u2019ve put in the work. They understand how we want to play. They just stick with it. They don\u2019t give up. But the feeling in that locker room is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n Warsofsky, on if he has any more words to describe Celebrini:<\/p>\n I mean, he just keeps impressing us and impressing us and getting better and better, and he took over that game there. Makes a hell of a play on the 6-on-5. He\u2019s definitely turning into a superstar right before our eyes, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n Warsofsky, on Eklund: “Eky was really good again tonight. I thought he was good last night. We’re starting to see the guy we saw there in training camp and early part of the season before his injuries.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Macklin Celebrini<\/p>\n Celebrini: “It’s a different kind of swagger and feeling in our group.”<\/p>\n
Jim Fox, on the broadcast: “From that point on, you’re dead.”https:\/\/t.co\/DAEAsAMExm<\/a><\/p>\n