Sharks Place Rookie Phenom on IR

The San Jose Sharks placed their rookie phenom on injured reserve.

Oct 10, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) reacts after center Tyler Toffoli (73) scores a goal during the first period against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The San Jose Sharks lost their season opening contest against the St. Louis Blues, but no one in the organization seemed to mind. Instead, the organization and fans were focused on the debut of rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini. The most recent first-overall pick recorded his first career goal on his first career shot in the first period of his first NHL game.

In addition to recording multiple points against the Blues, the Sharks' top rookie also suffered an injury during his debut. While the hope was that it was minor enough to not prevent him from playing, but that is unfortunately not the case. The team announced that they had placed Celebrini on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Jack Thompson from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

The #SJSharks have recalled D Jack Thompson from @sjbarracuda.

Additionally, C Macklin Celebrini has been placed on injured reserve.

— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) October 12, 2024

With Celebrini going on the IR, it means he will miss at least seven days from the date of his assignment to list. He will likely be retroactively assigned to the date of their game against the Blues, which would result in him being unavailable for two games at minimum while he recovers. The Sharks will battle the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars in their next two contests, but that does leave the door open for Celebrini to return for their matchup against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks seven days exactly after he was injured.

During his debut, Celebrini posted an assist after notching his first ever goal in the opening period. The 18-year-old also skated for 17:35 minutes of ice time, playing mostly with wingers William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli.

Before making his NHL debut, Celebrini was dominating the NCAA while attending the University of Boston. As a freshman, he scored 32 goals, finished with 64 points in 38 games, and became the youngest Hobey Baker Award winner in NCAA history as college's top player.

WIthout their best rookie and player, the Sharks will turn to fellow rookie Will Smith to shoulder more of the load. In Celebrini's absence, expect Smith to receive a few extra minutes of ice time.

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