Macklin Celebrini scored a first-period goal and assisted in the Sharks' debut

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It didn't take Macklin Celebrini long to make an impact with the San Jose Sharks.

The 18-year-old rookie scored San Jose's first goal of the season and added an assist in his first season as a pro in Thursday night's season opener, a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues, suggesting a brighter future ahead for a franchise that has been in the doldrums for the past five years.

“It was great,” Celebrini said. “It's everything I imagined for my first game. It was an incredible experience and one I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Celebrini's first career goal came on his third shift and was a lucky one. The former Boston University star arrived in a rush and did a spin-o-rama near the boards before attempting a centering pass to William Eklund that hit defenseman Matt Kessel's skate and passed Joel Hofer at 7:01 .

“I just tried to fake it and then just throw one up the middle and see if he could get a stick on it,” Celebrini said. “Just a lucky bounce off the D-man’s skate.”

Celebrini didn't even know he was credited with the goal until teammate Eklund told him during the celebratory scrum.

The goal sparked loud ovations and “Celebrini! Celebrini!” exclaims. from a fan base starved for success but fueled by a youth movement led by Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, and 2023 first-rounder Will Smith.

Celebrini wasn't done yet, adding an assist on a pass behind the net to Tyler Toffoli later in the first half.

“He did the same thing in the first pre-season game we played together,” Toffoli said. “He is incredible, an incredible talent, he works extremely hard. At the end of the day he wants to win games too and he will do whatever it takes.”

Celebrini is the sixth-youngest player to score in his NHL debut at 18 years and 119 days, and the youngest since Aleksander Barkov on October 3, 2013 at 18 years and 31 days.

Along with Auston Matthews (two goals), he is the only number 1 pick to score multiple points in the first period of his NHL debut. And he joins Nathan MacKinnon (18 years, 31 days) and Bobby Carpenter (18-86) as the third-youngest players to play a multi-point game in his debut.

“It was cool to score both goals in my career, but we lost, so it sucks,” Celebrini said of a goal and an assist.

The debuts of Celebrini and the 19-year-old Smith mark the first time in nearly 26 years that the Sharks have had two teenagers in the lineup and the first time a team has had two players taken in the top four of the draft make their debuts played the same game since Matthews and Mitch Marner played it for Toronto in 2016.

The two received a loud ovation as they came onto the ice to warm up, and Celebrini received one of the loudest ovations during the pregame introductions.

The Sharks were one of the most successful franchises in the NHL over 15 seasons, making 14 playoff appearances, five trips to the Western Conference Finals and an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

Since reaching the conference finals in 2019, the Sharks have missed the playoffs five straight seasons, reaching their lowest point with a 19-win season in 2023-24, when they posted their worst single-season goal difference in 30 years.

The price for that performance came when San Jose won the draft lottery and the right to draft Celebrini, who scored 64 points in 38 games as a freshman at Boston University last season and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player.

Celebrini's pick came a year after Smith was drafted fourth overall by San Jose, and he played at Boston College last season before also heading to the NHL.

While the team may still be a few years away from contention on the ice, the additions of Celebrini and Smith have given hope to a Sharks fan base that desperately needs it after seeing stars from the previous generation like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau has , Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson, continue in recent years.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.