The San Jose Sharks are not surprised by the success of Macklin Celebrini in the Olympics

SAN JOSE — San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL player to compete in the men’s hockey competition at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina.

All 19-year-old Celebrini has done so far is become the second-leading scorer at the event, behind teammate Connor McDavid, while helping a loaded Canadian team advance to Friday’s semifinals.

None of this comes as a surprise to his Sharks teammates.

“He’s the best player in the world, and he’s proving it,” Sharks tight end Ryan Reaves said of Celebrini. “That’s what the best players do.”

Celebrini, in the biggest game of his career to date, had three points — including an assist on Mitch Marner’s overtime winner — as Canada earned a thrilling 4-3 quarterfinal win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

In 3-on-3 overtime, Celebrini sent a dribble pass to Marner, who danced past three Czechia defenders – including former Sharks defenseman Radim Simek – before his shot beat goalkeeper Lukas Dostal at 1:22 of the 10-minute overtime period.

Marner’s goal sent his teammates onto the ice in celebration, and the Canadians advanced to the semifinals against Finland, which also defeated Switzerland and Sharks forward Philipp Kurashev 3-2 in overtime. Kurashev had an assist in the loss.

Sharks striker Pavol Regenda is in the other semi-finals after scoring two goals to help Slovakia beat Germany 6-2. Slovakia will play against the United States, who beat Sweden 2-1 in extra time with a goal by Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Celebrini and Slovakia will play for gold on Sunday or bronze on Saturday.

“Obviously I fight for Canada as a Canadian, so it’s good to see Celebrini doing well,” said Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. “Not only is he doing well but he is one of the best players in this tournament.

“Not just him, other guys, throughout our program. It’s good for us as a team, and hopefully it’s going to be a good confidence builder for the guys coming back here.”

Although this is only his second NHL season, Celebrini is still an integral part of a loaded Canadian roster. He entered the Olympics as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 81 points in 55 games, and through the first round and quarterfinals, he had five goals and four assists.

While Celebrini’s best game to date may have opened the eyes of North America and the rest of the world, it’s not a revelation to anyone in San Jose.

“I’m not surprised at all,” said Sharks tight end Collin Graf. “We see it maybe a little more than other people, because we see it in practice and in every game. But I don’t think anyone in this room is surprised.”

Celebrini has been with McDavid – a three-time Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s MVP – since the start of the tournament last week. The two were joined by Nathan MacKinnon, putting three of the NHL’s top four players in a row.

Celebrini scored at 3:05 of the first period on an assist from McDavid, and both assisted on MacKinnon’s power play goal that tied the game 2-2 at 12:16 of the second period.

Celebrini has scored a goal in all the games he has played in Milan and is two points behind McDavid who is the leading scorer.

“I thought McDavid was playing with (Celebrini), to be honest,” Reaves said with a smile when asked about Celebrini playing with McDavid and MacKinnon. “But that line is out of control. That has to be, if not the best, one of the best lines ever created in Olympic history or hockey history, to be honest. It’s fun to watch those guys.”

Celebrini’s nine tournament points moved him past Evgeni Malkin for the most points by a teenager in a single Olympic tournament with NHL players. Malkin, a longtime Pittsburgh Penguins star, had six points in seven games for Russia during the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy.

Celebrini also became the fourth player to record a goal in four consecutive Olympic games involving NHL players, joining Marian Hossa (2006 with Slovakia), former Shark Teemu Selanne (2006 with Finland), and Mats Sundin (2002 with Sweden).

“He’s a competitor, he’s a gamer,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Celebrini. “He doesn’t seem to get too frustrated at times, and we’re seeing that right now.”