SAN JOSE – Sharks rookie Ivar Stenberg’s living arrangements were a little unsettled during training camp last month, but he seems to have the perfect place to call home, at least for now: Joe Thornton’s residence.

As they did with Macklin Celebrini over the last two seasons, Thornton’s family, at the request of Sharks general manager Mike Grier, is welcoming Stenberg, the 19-year-old Swedish-born winger, into their home.

A day after making his NHL debut in the Sharks’ emotional 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers, Stenberg said he was moving into Thornton’s South Bay property on Friday. He’ll also get to drive the car that Celebrini had been using.

Asked how the arrangement began, Stenberg said Grier and the Sharks wanted him to live with someone as he gets used to San Jose and California.

“I wanted that, too,” Stenberg said Friday afternoon. “(Thornton’s home) was a perfect spot.”

“He’ll learn English quick,” quipped Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky.

Thornton, officially in his second year as a player development coach and hockey operations advisor with the Sharks, had 1,539 points in 1,714 games over a 24-year NHL career, culminating in induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.

The Sharks also had Will Smith live with Patrick Marleau for his first two NHL seasons, before Smith and Celebrini moved in together after they returned to San Jose several weeks ago.

“Guys that have gone through it and understand what they’re going through can really help them on and off the ice,” Warsofsky said. “Sometimes more off the ice to let him decompress and breathe and understand the adrenaline and the emotion that went into (Thursday’s game), go home, kind of reset.

“There’s a lot going on there. Jumbo’s been through that. He can help him. He can put his arm around him, talk to him, and guide him through it. There’ll be times when he can maybe push him a little bit and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get back in there.’ Such a value for these players that we’ve had with Jumbo and Patty — you can’t really (put enough) value on that.”

Thornton, the 14th-leading scorer in NHL history, won the Hart Memorial (league MVP) and Art Ross (leading scorer) trophies in 2006, more than a year before Stenberg was born.

“He’s a legend,” Stenberg said. “I didn’t watch him too much growing up, but he’s a really cool guy and an amazing person. It couldn’t be better.”

Stenberg said he hasn’t been driving around San Jose much, but has noticed a big difference in how fast local drivers go compared to those back in his hometown of Gothenburg.

“I haven’t driven too much, to be honest,” Stenberg said. “But yeah, American drivers drive crazy.”

Stenberg, listed at 5-foot-11, might be more comfortable on the ice than on Bay Area freeways.

In the Sharks’ 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers, Stenberg earned kudos for his hockey sense and responsible play, two traits that helped him become the No. 2 overall pick during June’s NHL draft.

“He was unreal,” Celebrini said. “He made a lot of great plays for us, and he was really smart with the puck.”

With the Sharks killing over 10 minutes in penalties, Stenberg finished with just 13:35 of ice time, skating on a line with center Alexander Wennberg and fellow winger Collin Graf. Stenberg went without a point but also held his own, as he and his linemates were often matched up against Sam Bennett’s line and, per Natural Stat Trick, created as many scoring chances as they allowed.

“I thought his third (period) was really good,” Warsofsky said of Stenberg’s game. “He’s strong on the puck. He can hold on to a puck, and that’s probably what impressed me last night.”

Stenberg took a shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis midway through the second period. Stenberg said it wasn’t that big of a hit, but appreciated Graf stepping in to challenge Balinskis, even though the scrap was short-lived.