No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini’s first official practice with the San Jose Sharks provided a needed bit of optimism for a franchise that has had little success in recent years.

San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini earned high praise from TSN's Craig Button. View the original article to see embedded media. Button appeared on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and was asked about the Sharks star prospect.

Perhaps no one inside the Sharks organization is more eager to play a hockey game right now than the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The Sharks didn’t play Celebrini in Sunday’s rookie game contest against Anaheim, and there’s a strong possibility that he won’t suit up in another game until sometime during the preseason. Friday’s showing was enough for club officials to readily see that he’s already at a notch about his peers.

The San Jose Sharks had an abysmal season in 2023-24 but got a great reward. They picked Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini with the first-overall pick to kickstart their rebuild. He made his training camp debut on Thursday and impressed the veterans on his team,