NHL: St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks – Source: Imagn

Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 number-one overall draft pick, hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in his first game with the team. He plans to rejoin the San Jose Sharks tonight when they return home for a contest.

Golden State Warriors center Draymond Green supported the rookie by wearing his jersey to a press conference. Celebrini confirmed on Monday that he will return to the lineup for the Sharks’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The connection between Green and the Celebrini runs deeper than one would expect. Macklin’s father, Rick Celebrini, is a renowned sports medicine expert and director of sports medicine and performance for the Warriors and has worked closely with the NBA superstar over the years.

The young star player scored a goal and an assist in the season-opening game but suffered an injury in practice the next day. He landed on injured reserve on Oct. 12, staying there until he returned to team activities on Oct. 31.

Celebrini took contact during Monday’s practice and returned to the top line for San Jose, which has a 3-8-2 record in Celebrini’s missed games. However, all three of those wins came in a row this week as they await the return of their star.

Macklin Celebrini is returning to the Sharks lineup on Tuesday. On Monday, one of his biggest fans was repping his sweater 🦈 @Money23Green pic.twitter.com/fjoaTt1SN9

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 5, 2024

Celebrini went down against the Columbus Blue Jackets and will return to the lineup against the St. Louis Blues. The former top prospect was the 2023-24 Hobey Baker Award winner after his lone collegiate year at Boston University. He recorded 64 points on 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games.

Macklin Celebrini opens up on injury

Macklin Celebrini’s NHL career lasted just one game before he went down with an injury. That was unfortunate timing for the number one overall pick, who admitted some frustration with it.

Macklin Celebrini has been working on rehabbing (Imagn)”It [stunk] playing one game and then having to sit out for a bit. It’s the right thing to do, so I’m feeling great now, and [I] can’t wait to get back out there,” he said, via NHL.

Celebrini also said he’d been dealing with a hip injury he got during a preseason game with the Utah Hockey Club.

“When I went into the boards I hurt my hip a little bit in the preseason game,” he said. “I rehabbed it. I didn’t play any preseason games after that and then rehabbed. It was feeling really good, and then [I] reaggravated it during the first game, first shift.

I didn’t want to not play in that game, so I kind of stuck through it, but at the end of the game something didn’t feel right.”

He also said he was doing “a lot of gym work [and] strengthening all the muscles around [the hip].” Celebrini also ensured he did not put any strain on the muscles.