The much-anticipated return of Macklin Celebrini is right around the corner.
The San Jose Sharks‘ No. 1 overall pick from this year’s draft is set to make his return from injury on Tuesday as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the forward confirmed to NBC Sports’ Sheng Peng.
Celebrini had a goal and an assist in the team’s season opener but was placed on the injured reserve after the game with a lower-body injury. That was the only NHL regular-season action he’s seen so far in his young career.
The 18-year-old was cleared for team activities and had been practising with the team over the last week. However, coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters that the phenom was still considered week-to-week last Thursday.
Celebrini became the youngest player in NHL history to record two points in the first period of his debut, according to Sportradar, doing so at 18 years, and 119 days. Shane Doan held the previous mark of 18 years, 362 days, when he had two points for Winnipeg against Dallas in 1995.
He also scored the second-fastest first goal ever for a No. 1 pick, with his goal 7:01 into the opener trailing only Mario Lemieux, who scored 2:59 into his debut against Boston on Oct. 11, 1984.
Celebrini had 64 points in 38 games as a freshman at Boston University last season, when he won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player.
— With files from the Associated Press
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