Any notion that San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini — the youngest NHL player at the Winter Games — would be eased into his first Olympic experience was quickly disabused during Canada’s first two practices in Milan.

After arriving in Italy over the weekend, Celebrini skated alongside Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and hulking Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson on Canada’s top line at Santagiulia Arena on Sunday and Monday.

Nothing like getting thrown right into the deep end, with Celebrini, 19, and the Canadians playing their first game against Czechia on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. (PST).

“It’s fun. It’s great,” Celebrini told reporters after Sunday’s practice. “I think we’ve got to get a little chemistry, but it is super cool.”

When the process of selecting the 25 NHL players who would represent Canada in Milan Cortina began last summer, there was a school of thought that, if Celebrini made the team, he would go mostly to gain the kind of experience that would be helpful to him at the 2030 Games in France, where he would have a bigger role.

But his time appears to be right now.

Besides playing alongside McDavid, a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Celebrini was taking reps on Canada’s second power play unit with Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders, plus Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I think Macklin Celebrini can play on any line and have success, as could Connor McDavid,” Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said Sunday. “There are so many things that go into this, and that’s why it’s tough to answer these questions on the first day of practice, because you have to start somewhere.

“We have to put a group of guys together, but I’ll tell you, it sure is fun.”

“He’s just such a unique player,” Celebrini said of McDavid, who leads the NHL with 96 points. “There’s no one else like him in the world. The speed and pace that he plays with is something I’ve got to get used to, but it’s going to be great. If we stay together, it’s just going to get better.”

Celebrini demonstrated through the first four months of the NHL regular season that he belongs in such company.

Celebrini entered the Olympic break fourth in the NHL in scoring with 81 points, the most for a teenager after 55 games since Sidney Crosby had 91 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006-07 season.

With his point total, Celebrini has been involved in over 47% of the Sharks’ 171 goals this season and is the biggest reason why they remain in the mix for a playoff spot. Although they’ve lost four straight games, the Sharks are five points back of a wild-card position with 27 games remaining.

All of which has led to speculation that Celebrini will be among the finalists for the Hart Trophy, presented annually “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”

“This is the first practice on the first day of the tournament, but if he’s shown anything to all of us in his NHL year, he’s a pretty special player,” Cooper said of Celebrini said. “I don’t do any award voting, but there sure seems to be a lot of (media members) saying this kid might be up for some big-time awards. So, take his age out of it. He’s a (heck) of a hockey player.”

After Thursday’s game, Celebrini and the Canadians finish the preliminary round with games against Switzerland on Friday at noon and France on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The quarterfinals are on Feb. 18, with the semifinals two days later. The Bronze Medal game is on Feb. 21, and the Gold Medal game is the next day.

“I’ve only been around him a little bit, but even just that little bit of being around him, I can tell how much he puts into it, how hard he works, how much he cares about it,” McDavid said. “It’s been impressive to see. He’s such a young guy, but to make this team, and not only to make this team, but he’s going to be asked to play a big role, that’s incredible.”

Besides Celebrini, other Sharks representing their countries are forwards Pavol Regenda (Slovakia), Alex Wennberg (Sweden), and Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland).

Few countries, though, face as much pressure to win gold in hockey as Canada, which also finished on top in 2002, 2010, and 2014, the last year NHL players were involved.

Having represented his country at the 2024 World Junior Championship, Celebrini knew that going in. But now he’s on a much bigger stage, playing in a marquee spot on the highest profile sport at the Winter Games.

“There’s a lot of expectations on us to win,” Celebrini said last month. “That is the only expectation, is that we come home with the gold. That’s what we want. That’s what the U.S., Sweden, Finland, every country that goes there wants gold. But I think the pressure and the pride in the way people think about hockey in Canada, … they want to see their country do well, and they want to see us represent our country the right way.

“But there is definitely the expectation of coming home with gold.”

BARRACUDA NOTES

With center Filip Bystedt injured, forward Cam Lund will represent the San Jose Barracuda at the AHL All-Star Classic this week in Rockford, Ill. Bystedt, who leads the Barracuda with 36 points, was originally selected to the event last month, but sustained an upper-body injury in San Jose’s game in Abbotsford on Friday. Lund has 25 points in 36 games this season. Bystedt is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

The AHL All-Star Classic runs Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Barracuda’s next games are Saturday and Sunday at home against Henderson. Injured forwards Quentin Musty and Ethan Cardwell are both on track to be available to play this weekend. Musty hasn’t played since Jan. 16, and Cardwell’s been out since Jan. 24.

Barracuda forward Anthony Vincent was suspended for two games as a consequence of a cross-checking incident in a game at Abbotsford on Feb. 7. Vincent will miss San Jose’s games Saturday and Sunday.