EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Since 2018, the Rookie Faceoff has emerged as a top showcase for prospects of western-based NHL organizations ahead of their main training camps. It’s become a competition for top draft picks to show why they were deserving of a high standing by teams and for lesser-known players to leave a strong impression.

It did not take long for Macklin Celebrini to make an impact in his first competitive game in a San Jose Sharks uniform on Friday. Playing for the first time in nearly four months, the 18-year-old Celebrini scored a third-period power-play goal and finished with five shots in the Sharks’ 3-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club to start the Rookie Faceoff in El Segundo.

The top prospect was on a line with Klim Kostin and Tyler Toffoli during drills and the scrimmage portion of camp. During most shifts of the scrimmage, Celebrini commanded the puck and created plays for his linemates to score goals.

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.

He looks like a kid. He sounds like a kid. He is a kid. But Macklin Celebrini does not carry himself like a kid. To be clear, he still has that youthful pep in his step.

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