A player like Macklin Celebrini very rarely comes along, and finding support for such a talent can be very difficult. Celebrini has carried the weight of the entire San Jose Sharks organization on his back for the past two seasons, and now he can finally breathe a sigh of relief with the signing of Ivar Stenberg.
Earlier the Sharks announced Stenberg, this year’s second overall draft pick, has been signed to a standard three-year, entry-level contract. At the combine, scouts repeatedly compared the young Swede to Celebrini, touting his readiness to make the leap to the NHL and praising his talents, claiming he has all the makings to be the next superstar.
Support for Celebrini is a concern for the organization, as a lot of pressure is placed on the now 20-year-old and burnout is a very real threat. In 82 games played this season, Celebrini broke Joe Thornton’s franchise single season point record with 115 (45G, 70A). To put into perspective how valuable he was to the team, Celebrini was the only player to break 30 goals, 40 assists, and 60 overall points. Although he handles the stress well, it shouldn’t be a burden he bears alone.
Head Coach, Ryan Warsofsky, has said at multiple points the club needs players who can play with Celebrini. Now, it seems that that player has been found in Stenberg. In his 43 games played for Frolunda HC in the SHL, where he won a championship, Stenberg notched 33 points (11G, 22A) and was named Swedish junior hockey player of the year. He also wowed on the international circuit, winning gold with Sweden at the World Junior Championship racking up 10 points (4G, 6A) in seven games, and recording 8 points (4G, 4A) in eight games at the World Championship where he faced off against future NHL opponents (and teammates).
With his speed, decisive and brilliant passing, and high hockey IQ, Ivar Stenberg is yet another terrifying piece of the Sharks’ elite forward group. Able to play both sides of the wing, Stenberg is versatile and dynamic, not only giving support on the wing of Celebrini but also spreading the talent to the second line where he can wing Michael Misa. The San Jose Sharks finally are starting to have the makings of a Stanley Cup contending team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google