{"id":173425,"date":"2026-02-11T13:11:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T13:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/173425\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T13:11:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T13:11:33","slug":"how-macklin-celebrini-sharks-adjusting-to-more-defensive-attention-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/173425\/","title":{"rendered":"How Macklin Celebrini, Sharks adjusting to more defensive attention this season"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Macklin Celebrini, Sharks adjusting to more defensive attention this season<\/a> originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California\u2019s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on\u00a0San Jose Hockey Now<\/a>, listen to him on the\u00a0San Jose Hockey Now Podcast<\/a>, and follow him on Twitter at\u00a0@Sheng_Peng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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There arguably is nobody more important to his team than Macklin Celebrini<\/a> is to the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n

Celebrini has 42 more points than his teammate in second, Will Smith (39). To put that in perspective, that\u2019s the largest canyon between the No. 1 and No. 2 scorer on a team, followed by MacKinnon\u2019s 31-point gap over Martin Necas (62) on the Colorado Avalanche and Kucherov\u2019s same differential over Jake Guentzel (60) on the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n

Safe to say, he\u2019s the focus of any game plan against San Jose.<\/p>\n

So, how have the Sharks and Macklin Celebrini<\/a> adjusted to all the defensive attention this season?<\/p>\n

First things first, Celebrini is simply better this year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBigger, stronger, faster, more experienced,\u201d Panthers head coach Paul Maurice summarized in November.<\/p>\n

Celebrini and the Sharks coaching staff have also put the franchise center in positions to succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about putting [him] in situations where we can kind of get away from that,\u201d Warsofsky said of the defensive attention, \u201cget to his skill-set of being able to play when playing in space. That\u2019s usually when players are at their best, is when they have time and space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warsofsky will typically use Celebrini to close periods, basically get him an extra shift at a key time in the game, and not necessarily with his line.<\/p>\n

Off the Alex Wennberg (21) draw, Celebrini (71) is \u201cdisguised\u201d at wing, surprising Mikael Granlund (64) from behind on the backcheck. That turnover puts the Ducks in scramble mode, and Celebrini exploits that with his speed.<\/p>\n

This time, on the fly, Warsofsky puts his best player with third-line center Ty Dellandrea (10) and fourth-line winger Barclay Goodrow (23).<\/p>\n

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Dellandrea and Goodrow do the grunt work on the forecheck, Celebrini sets up for a scoring chance, and Goodrow cleans up the garbage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to do some different things that can get him away from [the defensive attention], whether it\u2019s a matchup-based challenge or flow of the game, momentum in the game situations,\u201d Warsofsky said.<\/p>\n

Celebrini has also been given license, both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, to stay on the ice longer, if warranted.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example, down 5-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23, of Celebrini taking a double shift, Sharks lines scrambled after a penalty kill.<\/p>\n

That was a 2:11 shift by Celebrini, a sensitive topic, because no player wants to be seen as hogging another player\u2019s ice-time.<\/p>\n

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But Celebrini isn\u2019t doing that, he\u2019s been empowered to make decisions on the fly for the betterment of his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s earned some rope. He has, by the way he\u2019s played,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cI get it, we were down, 2, 3, 4-nothing. He\u2019s taken some long shifts because he wants to fix the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThere\u2019s a balance to that, for sure, but that\u2019s an extreme competitor that\u2019s frustrated with what\u2019s going on in the hockey game and he wants to make a difference. I\u2019d much rather have that than a guy that\u2019s out there for 15 seconds that doesn\u2019t want to be on the ice because something bad is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it\u2019s situational. I don\u2019t really want to be out there for too long,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cSometimes, you just get caught out there, and it\u2019s better just stay out there and take a [defensive] lane away, instead of screwing over your teammates and putting them in a bad spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cOf course, we don\u2019t want him out there two minutes, right?\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cMack and I talked about it. We had a conversation about that, and he understands that, but I also understand the flipside of it, of that competitiveness. That\u2019s what we want around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trust me, this isn\u2019t a normal conversation between a second-year player and a head coach (see Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet).<\/p>\n

Celebrini staying on the ice a little longer often benefits the Sharks, creating mismatches and more offense.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example against the Lightning on Jan. 3: Celebrini\u2019s linemates, William Eklund (72) and Igor Chernyshov (92), change, but Celebrini stays on to provide defensive support.<\/p>\n

Of course, a dynamic player like Celebrini is more than a defensive security blanket, beating pinching defenseman Erik Cernak (81) to the puck, then evading forechecker Yanni Gourde (37), to spring Pavol Regenda (84) and Jeff Skinner (53) for a 2-on-1.<\/p>\n

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At the end of Celebrini\u2019s 1:21 shift, Regenda scores right as the superstar center reaches the bench to change.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another example at the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 16, Celebrini staying on, as he should, as the first forechecker as Will Smith (2) and Collin Graf (51) change. It\u2019s what Celebrini does from this point on, which is why you want him on the ice as much as possible.<\/p>\n

F1 Celebrini harasses Ben Chiarot (8) into a turnover, staying on because the Sharks have full OZ possession. Then, Adam Gaudette (81) and Celebrini work a nifty give-and-go for a Grade-A scoring chance.<\/p>\n

Celebrini is commonly double-shifted on the power play, too, playing most or all of the two minutes, and has been part of plenty of second-unit PP goals, Gaudette on Dec. 20<\/a> against the Seattle Kraken, Regenda on Jan. 3<\/a> against the Lightning, and Gaudette on Jan. 7<\/a> against the Los Angeles Kings, for example.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s all you need. You need the trust of your teammates and your coaches,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s important, is they trust you to do your job and get that result. As long as they trust me to do that, then that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the end, Celebrini\u2019s adjustment to all the defensive attention is simply being a better player than he was as a rookie. He wouldn\u2019t be double-shifted or relied upon late in the periods if not for his evolutionary leap.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just physical, it\u2019s mental growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe plays a more of a give-and-go game at times, reads gaps, reads who\u2019s in front of him. That\u2019s the most that I\u2019ve seen him grow,\u201d Warsofsky said.<\/p>\n

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Last season, Celebrini was more of a one-trick pony offensively, a speed demon always trying to push play \u201cvertical\u201d, often as fast as possible.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still that, but he\u2019s also slowed his game down, too, when it matters.<\/p>\n

Celebrini does something counterintuitive to his most obvious skill, his skating, dumping it in for Smith to claim. All the Flyers are watching Celebrini, which gives Smith a headstart to jump on the puck. Smith, an offensive prodigy in his own right, makes the most of it.<\/p>\n

Chernyshov pushes back the Stars\u2019 defense, allowing Celebrini to get open high. But instead of attacking defenseman Esa Lindell (23) with his customary pace, Celebrini slows it down, seeing a developing 2-on-1 down-low, for Chernyshov and Graf, which his linemates execute flawlessly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s kind of part of learning, trying to add parts to my game,\u201d Celebrini said.<\/p>\n

The Sharks will also add around Celebrini.<\/p>\n

Celebrini, with all the defensive attention that he gets, can become more dangerous when the Sharks put another puck transporter and protector with him. This allows Celebrini to play off the puck more and get open.<\/p>\n

Chernyshov has done that for Celebrini when they\u2019ve played together, as has Eklund.<\/p>\n

Eklund is probably the Sharks\u2019 second-most effective player, after Celebrini, carrying the puck from blueline to blueline.<\/p>\n

Eklund drives the Calgary Flames\u2019 defense back on Nov. 13, absorbing four Flames, which leaves Celebrini open. Gaudette almost puts in the rebound.<\/p>\n

Eklund is also crafty with the puck along the wall, attracting Thomas Harley (55) and Colin Blackwell (15), before finding Celebrini and Chernyshov for a down-low 2-on-1.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s another way to think about Celebrini\u2019s dominance this season.<\/p>\n

As the Sharks surround him with better players, and the youngsters around him, such as Smith, Eklund, Chernyshov, Graf and Co. get better, Celebrini, carrying a little less of the load, should become even more dominant.<\/p>\n

Imagine that.<\/p>\n

Right now, defenses can key in against Celebrini, and he\u2019s still beating them consistently. He\u2019s going to overpower them even more, with the help that\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast<\/a><\/p>\n