Calder-brini? Sharks center builds early case for top rookie award

Like the rest of his teammates, San Jose Sharks rookie centerman Macklin Celebrini might not have been in the best of moods earlier this week.

If so, that shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Celebrini’s hyper-competitive nature and how bad the Sharks looked in recent losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.

To boot, his giveaway on Tuesday night in Carolina led to the Hurricanes’ game-winning goal and a 3-2 Sharks loss. It marked the first time Celebrini had been a part of three straight losses in regulation since his early days at Boston University last October.

Celebrini, though, might have been the happiest player on the ice Thursday after the Sharks held on for a nerve-wracking 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Celebrini remained on the bench for the final three-plus minutes of regulation time, but he and other Sharks skaters poured onto the ice after the game and mobbed new goalie Alexandar Georgiev as they ended a 13-day road trip with a 3-3-0 record.

“It was really important (to close the road trip with a win),” Celebrini told reporters after the game. “We didn’t play as well as we wanted to the last couple of games. I felt like tonight, we did a good job of sticking to our identity.”

Although Celebrini credited the team’s overall effort for the win, it was his two second-period goals and first-period assist that helped pave the way to a victory, as the Sharks picked up a bit of momentum before starting a challenging three-game homestand on Saturday against the Utah Hockey Club.

“I could say the world about (Celebrini). He’s the engine of our team,” said defenseman Jake Walman, whose third-period goal proved to be the game-winner, on the Sharks’ Audio Network.

“When he’s going — and he’s pretty much always going — he’s a playmaker. He can take over a game. We’re fortunate to have him, and it’s a treat to watch.”

Certainly, if he keeps this up, Celebrini would have to be the favorite — or close to it — to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. He was already named the league’s best rookie for November

With his second three-point game of the season Thursday, Celebrini now has 19 points through 20 games, tied for second-most among all NHL rookies with 20-year-old Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, his ex-Boston University teammate. Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov, who just turned 20 on Dec. 9, has 27 points in 28 games.

As of Thursday night, Michkov was a -200 favorite to win the Calder on DraftKings, and Celebrini was the nearest competitor at +175. On FanDuel, Michkov was -195 and Celebrini was +135.

Regardless, Celebrini is just the 11th 18-year-old in NHL history to record 19 points or more through their first 20 career games and only the fourth in the last 30 years.

The others? Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (20 points in 2011) and future Hockey Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby (24 points in 2005) and Patrick Kane (22 points in 2007).

Kane won the Calder, and Crosby and Nugent Hopkins were runners-up. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on the award.

It’s doubtful that Celebrini is thinking about the Calder, not with 50 games left in the regular season. If anything, he probably wants to find a way to be even better on Saturday.

But it will probably be a topic of conversation from now until April, especially if Celebrini continues to have games like the one he had Thursday night.

In addition to making some heady plays in the defensive zone, Celebrini scored his first two road goals of the season twice and assisted on Tyler Toffoli’s 12th goal with some determination in front of the Blues net.

“I just think every time he’s out there, we’re getting a good Grade A chance,” Walman said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s awesome. He works his tail off, and that’s the biggest thing. He’s a 200-foot player. He’s not just looking for goals; he’s all over the ice.”

That might be one of the more significant differences between Celebrini and Michkov.

Of Michkov’s 11 goals, which leads all first-year players, six have come at even strength and five on the power play. Of his 16 assists, seven have come with the man advantage.

Celebrini has 10 goals in 20 games, and he scored his second power-play goal of the season on Thursday. The rest have come at even strength. Seven of his nine assists have come at even strength, and two on the power play.

Take it for what it’s worth considering each player’s usage so far, but during 5-on-5 play this season, Michkov has been on the ice for 16 goals and 12 against, and Celebrini has been on the ice for 14 goals and 14 against.

Only one player in Sharks history has won the Calder Trophy: goalie Evgeni Nabokov after the 2000-01 season. Defenseman Brad Stuart was second in voting in 2000, and Sharks captain Logan Couture was second in 2011.

The bottom line is this: If a team has someone in that conversation, chances are that player will be an asset for a long time. Just 20 games into Celebrini’s NHL career, the Sharks are getting a feel for how special he can be, whether or not he’s in a good mood.

“He’s a true winner. He’s going to be a winner here for a long time,” Walman said of Celebrini. “So I’m excited to play with him. I’m fortunate I can be a part of this chapter. But we’re fortunate to have him. He’s a hell of a player.”