Sharks coach looking forward to 'competition' between Smith, Celebrini
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is eager to see how top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith will motivate each other in their first NHL season.
"Our whole team has to be more competitive in everything we do, and I preach that a lot," Warsofsky said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "But now we've got inner competitiveness with those two guys. I'm sure they both want Rookie of the Year. I'm sure they both want to have more points at the end of the year, and that's good.
"I want that. ... We've got to have some team success, and when you have team success, individual success comes with that. So, I'm excited to see their competition, their inner drive to push each other."
The Sharks selected Smith fourth overall in 2023. The 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract in May following a strong freshman year with Boston College that saw him lead the NCAA with 46 assists and 71 points in 41 games.
Celebrini went first overall at this summer's draft. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in men's college hockey after putting up 32 goals and 64 points in just 38 outings as a 17-year-old rookie for Boston University. Celebrini inked his entry-level pact in July.
Both players are centers. Sharks general manager Mike Grier said last month that the plan is to play them at their natural position rather than line them up on the wing, per NBC Sports' Joaquin Ruiz.
Grier has previously emphasized that he wants to insulate the two youngsters "so they don't feel like they've got the weight on their shoulders," but Celebrini and Smith still project to take on sizeable roles in 2024-25.
Warsofsky foresees the Sharks leaning on Celebrini in particular.
"He's so driven," the bench boss said. "I think, at times, we're going to have to reel him back, just because he wants to go, go, go. But he's a super competitive, self-driven young person, which you don't see a lot this day and age. That's what impressed me the most.
"He's going to be a guy that won't wear a letter (this season), but he's going to drive our team just the way he carries himself at such a young age."
Not to be outdone, Smith said in August that his goal is to be "a huge contributor" in his first NHL campaign.
Grier has acquired a host of players this summer to help usher in the Celebrini and Smith era, scooping up Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, and Jake Walman.