Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini day-to-day with lower-body injury

San Jose Sharks rookie forward Macklin Celebrini is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the team said Wednesday.

Celebrini’s status had been in question after he left a 3-1 preseason loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Celebrini was on a breakaway when he skated toward the Utah net and fired a close-range shot with Utah forward Kevin Stenlund closing in on the play.

Celebrini tripped over Stenlund’s stick after the shot, and he appeared to roll his left ankle and lose his balance before crashing into the boards with 13:13 remaining in the second period. Celebrini needed a few seconds to get up before finishing the rest of his shift.

He played one more shift before the Sharks ultimately pulled him for the remainder of the game as he finished with 10:54 in ice time.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters Wednesday that he removed Celebrini from the game as a precautionary measure. He also said that while Celebrini is not ruled out for the rest of the preseason, he could not also guarantee that Celebrini will be ready by opening night.

The Sharks have two preseason games remaining against the Anaheim Ducks (Friday) and Vegas Golden Knights (Saturday) before they open the regular season against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 10.

Celebrini opened the preseason with a goal and an assist in his Sept. 22 debut against the Golden Knights.

His injury comes in the wake of other injuries to high-profile players this preseason, including the Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty, who is month-to-month after having surgery for a fractured ankle, and Montreal Canadiens star Patrik Laine, who will miss two to three months with a sprained knee. 

Celebrini is a vital part of the Sharks’ plans after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft following his lone season at Boston University. His addition came shortly after the Sharks signed 2023 No. 4 pick Will Smith (Boston College) to his entry-level deal.

Together, Celebrini and Smith are expected to lead a youth movement in San Jose that could once again see the Sharks return to prominence after finishing the 2023-24 season with the NHL’s worst record and a goal differential of minus-150.