When it comes to single-season offensive production in the history of the San Jose Sharks, Macklin Celebrini is now right there with Joe Thornton.
Celebrini had two assists in the first period of the Sharks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Thursday night, giving him 114 points on the year as he tied the team’s single-season scoring record set by Joe Thornton in 2006-07.
Celebrini had a dazzling second assist on forward Igor Chernyshov’s power play goal at the 6:26 mark of the first period, and assisted on Will Smith’s even-strength goal at the 16:54 mark.
On the first goal, Celebrini sent a between-the-legs pass along the blue line to William Eklund, who fired a shot on net that was stopped by Jets goalie Eric Comrie. Chernyshov then beat Comrie on a second effort, scoring on his own rebound for his ninth goal of the season.
The Sharks then took a 2-1 lead after Celebrini sent a puck to Chernyshov inside the Jets’ blue line. John Klingberg then took control of a loose puck and gave it to Celebrini, who fired it over to an open Smith for his 24th of the season.
“I know (Celebrini) can give me the puck, so I just try to get open for him,” Smith said on NBC Sports California during the first intermission. “(Klingberg) made a nice play there, too, jumping up. All around good play.”
The 19-year-old Celebrini, now in his second NHL season, has played in all 82 games for the Sharks this year.
Thornton was 27 when he set the mark 19 years ago, playing in all 82 Sharks games that season. Thornton, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year, broke the team record set by Jonathan Cheechoo in 2005-06 when he had 93 points in 82 games.
Celebrini’s 70 assists are the fifth-most in team history. Thornton holds the team record with 92 in 2006-07.
Celebrini came into Thursday as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 112 points, as he scored or assisted on 45.7% of the Sharks’ 245 goals this season.
That percentage of a team’s goals over the course of a season was, at that point, the highest for a teenager in NHL history, eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 45.5% during the 1979-80 season when he was 19. That year, Gretzky scored or assisted on 137 of the Edmonton Oilers’ 301 goals.
Celebrini has steadily produced offense throughout the season. He had 37 points in 26 games in October and November, averaging 1.42 points per game. From the start of December to the start of the Olympic break, Celebrini averaged 1.52 points per game, scoring 44 points in 29 games.
After an emotionally draining performance at the Milan Olympics, where he helped Canada to a silver medal, Celebrini had 31 points in the Sharks’ next 26 games, or 1.19 points per game.
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