TORONTO – A few months after skating and training with Macklin Celebrini, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna remains in awe of the San Jose Sharks captain’s work ethic.

“I would personally call him just a machine,” the 18-year-old McKenna said of Celebrini, who turned 20 in June. “The way he’s skating every day, working out every day, taking care of his body and the way he’s fueling his body, it’s so pro.

“At such a young age, it’s really impressive to see.”

McKenna, selected first overall by the Leafs at the NHL draft in June, will play Celebrini and the Sharks for the first time on Monday at Scotiabank Arena. Celebrini was taken first overall by the Sharks in 2024 and was the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer last season with 115 points.

Like many players his age, McKenna admired Celebrini for what he’s accomplished in his first two-plus NHL seasons, including representing Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan in February.

Then McKenna saw firsthand how much work Celebrini puts in during the offseason, as the two spent time training together in the Vancouver area this summer.

“A lot of good moments. Maybe not in the moment I was having too fun of a time,” McKenna said with a smile of training with Celebrini. “But looking back, he’s pushing me; he’s pushing all of his buddies. When you’re training with a guy like that, it helps you. He pushed me, so it was a lot of fun.

“When you see a guy like that, you see how hard he works, and how well he’s doing; it kind of shows where you’ve got to get to.”

McKenna said he, Celebrini and a few others, skated twice in one day and also did the Grouse Grind, a challenging 1.6-mile hiking trail on Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Celebrini’s done the hike in an impressive 38 minutes. McKenna said he did his around 41 minutes.

“That was a tough one,” said McKenna, a Whitehorse, Yukon native. “Every day is tough out there, but that’s what you want in the summer, is to get better. I appreciated what he did for me.”

Celebrini also grew to appreciate McKenna’s talents, and it’s no stretch to say the two could one day be on the same Canadian World Cup or Olympic team.

“I didn’t really know him before,” Celebrini said. “It was just great to get to know him, hang out with him, and spend some time with him. On the ice, he’s such a skilled player.”