Celebrini participated in warmups prior to a 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars in Dallas on Monday. However, prior to puck drop, the team announced that their star forward would not play.
“It didn’t happen in warmups,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told SJ Hockey Now after practice in Dallas on Tuesday. “This has been something we’ve been trying to manage here a little bit.”
Celebrini had picked up right where he left off last season for San Jose (2-1-0). The 20-year-old center had three assists in a 4-3 overtime win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday before following that up with two assists in a 5-4 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Last season, Celebrini ranked fourth in the NHL with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games.
Selected by the Sharks with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini has 183 points (70 goals, 113 assists) in 154 games.
San Jose’s next game is at the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+, SN+).
NHL.com independent correspondent Max Miller contributed to this report