“I would say we're getting there—we're definitely getting there,” Warsofsky said of his club's 19-year-old engine.
“There are games where you talk to (another) coach after the game and they say he's the best player on the ice. I think it's his preparation and his drive to be great. And it's his initiative. I don't push him. He doesn't need to be poked. He succeeds.”
The guy is doing well, rising to the top of the league's scoring charts last week before settling into the top five.
To put his 26 points in the first 17 games of this season into perspective, consider the fact that Wayne Gretzky is the only player 19 or younger to score more points in that same time period.
In the 1980–81 season, “The Great One” scored 27 points.
Celebrini tied Sidney Crosby (26 in 2006–07) on a list that also included Steve Yzerman (25 in 1984–85), Jimmy Carson (24 in 1987–88) and Brian Trottier (24 in 1975–76).
“I think every coach would love to have McLean Celebrini on his team, and he obviously gets the guys involved,” said Warsofsky, who watched as Celebrini led his team's 6-0-1 run that was stopped by the Flames on Thursday.
“His speed and his ability to defend is obviously contagious and I think the guys have really understood and seen that. From the veterans to our rookies, they know what it takes. The way he prepares his body for every game is amazing for a 19-year-old.”
As the son of Golden State Warriors vice president of player health and performance Rick Celebrini, the talented player from North Vancouver learned from the best how to prepare his body and mind for greatness.
Combine that with generational skill, and you have the makings of a player who could join summer training buddy Connor Bedard as the most likely duo to replace the other two first overall picks, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, as the league's bright lights.
“This new generation is a completely different level of skills and other things, which, of course, I was never taught,” he smiled Ryan Reeveswho has seen many young stars during his journey to the NHL.
“They’re just taught differently: how they skate, how they handle a stick, how they train, how they eat.”
And how they behave.
“He's definitely not arrogant – I think he carries himself the way he should, like a good player in this league,” Reeves added.
“He knows he's still young and he's very respectful of the older guys. His personality is just right – exactly where it needs to be.”
He certainly impressed Team Canada management with his approach at the summer meeting in Calgary, making it even more tempting for management to consider adding the red-hot center when the Olympic team is announced on Jan. 1.
As Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong told NHL.com's Tracy Myers earlier this week, Bedard and Celebrini “have caught our attention.”
“But more importantly,” Armstrong added, “they got the attention of the rest of Team Canada, the attention of the coach and the attention of hockey in general, which is great not only for Team Canada, but great for the game.”
The Sharks' 2-0 loss at the Saddledome on Thursday was just the fourth time in 18 matches. Celebrini hasn't been on the scoresheet this season, and that's a big reason why the rebuilding Sharks are posting an astonishing 8-7-3 record.
Much has been made of the experience Celebrini had at the World Championships last spring, learning a lot alongside Crosby and current scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon.
That, plus being another year older, has helped Celebrini become the most exciting sophomore in the game.
“Last year there were a lot of new experiences, new teams, you could feel everything,” said Celebrini, who finished third in Calder Trophy voting with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games last year.
“I think this year it's just a feeling of comfort, like with the team, the guys we played last year, I would say it's a little more familiar.”
That helped him start the year with 10 goals and 16 assists while averaging 20:32 playing time per night for a team that just had a seven-game streak in which they outscored their opponents 23-10.
“He's putting up points every night, he's scoring big goals, he's working shifts, getting momentum and leading the locker room,” Reeves said.
“He just does a little bit of everything—everything your star players need.”
