Kurtenbach: Macklin Celebrini is the talk of hockey, but these other Sharks can really play

SAN JOSE — The Los Angeles Kings came into the Shark Tank with a mandate:

Let anyone but Macklin Celebrini beat us.

Well, they did.

Let that serve as a warning to the rest of the NHL: These Sharks are not just a one-man band. They can really play.

It took a shootout, sure, but the Sharks picked up their second win in as many games on their four-game home stand Thursday night, 4-3.

And while Celebrini had an assist, it was the other Sharks that shone brightest and won a nationally televised game.

It’s becoming a regular occurrence, too.

Celebrini might be the most talented player to arrive in San Jose since Joe Thornton — the kind of wunderkind who can singlehandedly turn a franchise around. But if the Sharks are to push for the playoffs this season and reach the loftiest of heights in the years to come, it will take so much more than just No. 71.

And you know what? They look like they have it.

The other Sharks have been lost in the shuffle amid the Sharks’ re-emergence to relevance and Celebrini’s rapid ascent to superstar status. But make no mistake about it: these other guys can play.

Thursday was the case in point.

Will Smith had an assist, Colin Graf had two, Ty Dellandrea scored a goal and had an assist, and William Eklund, Sam Dickinson, and Philip Kurashev all turned in strong games, while Yaroslav Askarov was brilliant between the pipes, stopping 31 shots and all three shootout attempts to win the sixth game in his last seven starts.

The Kings are no slouches. They play fast and heavy and roll four lines deep. They make you work for every inch of ice and for every shot attempt — that 9-2-2 road record going into Thursday’s game made all the sense in the world when you watch them play.

This is the exact kind of team that can overwhelm a young, in-process hockey team — the kind of team that plays exacting hockey that requires kids to play like grown men.

And while it took a shootout to win, the Sharks were at least the Kings’ equals on Thursday, if not the superior team.

The kids are growing up right before our eyes.

Smith, in particular, was spectacular on Thursday.

For any other team in the situation the Sharks were in over the last half-decade — for any other team in a rebuild — he would be the kind of talent the front office would be building around, the organization putting front and center.

The former No. 2 overall pick is a natural showman, playing the game with verve and flair. And after a brilliant, gold-medal winning turn with Team USA this summer, he was poised for a breakout in 2025-26.

It’s happening.

The outside might just see that as a byproduct of being on Celebrini’s right wing. That, no doubt, helps.

But ask the Kings whether Smith is the real deal.

As the Kings did everything in their power to keep Celebrini contained all game — and, frankly, did a good job — Smith was the beneficiary of all the open space that followed.

He took full advantage, dishing out a slick assist and nearly connecting on a between-the-legs goal that would have taken the roof off the SAP Center.

Smith, 20, now has 20 points in 21 games, maintaining the nearly point-per-game pace that capped last season.

More importantly, he’s shown incredible growth inside his own zone. At 180 pounds, he’s hardly going to push anyone around, and, yes, he can get a bit cute in trying to get the puck out of the zone, but he’s winning battles in corners and creating turnovers with his active stick and even more active skates. He’s plus-5 on the season, and that’s no mistake.

On his assist to Phillipp Kurashev (who, after being non-tendered by the Blackhawks this past offseason, has been a revelation on the left wing of the Sharks’ top line), Smith twice battled for the puck along the boards, twice won, and then, amid some pinball chaos, was able to find his linemate with so much space around him in the slot that he looked like he was in the target competition at the NHL Skills Challenge.

There’s incessant talk up north about whether Celebrini should make the Team Canada roster for this winter’s Olympics in Italy.

Maybe it’s time we Yanks start asking if Smith should make Team USA.

(I’ll take him over JT Miller or Patrick Kane right now. It might come down to him or Cole Caufield for a spot.)

And the beat goes on:

Graf, the 23-year-old do-it-all forward, had his second two-point game as a professional Thursday, showing the kind of two-way ability that middle-six dreams are made of. Not only was he outstanding on five-on-five, but he is a top penalty killer, despite never having killed penalties until becoming a Shark.

He’s a natural. To play a heavy and effective two-way game at 190 pounds against the Kings speaks volumes to his potential to be the kind of player that helps teams reach and win playoff games.

And while Dickinson might not have posted any stats Thursday, he sure looks the part of a top left-side defenseman. The Kings’ forecheck has rattled veterans this season. Dickinson seemed unfazed.

Then again, players that tall shouldn’t be able to skate like that.

Amid the musical-chairs game that head coach Ryan Wasofsky is playing on his blueline, there’s a reason why Dickinson has stuck. Defensemen might take longer to develop, but at 19 years old, the sky is the limit for the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft.

And then there’s Askarov.

If there’s a better goalie going in the NHL right now, I haven’t seen him.

Askarov, the former No. 1 goalie prospect in the game, has stopped 190 of his last 197 shots, posting a 1.19 goals against average and .964 save percentage in November.

Life is so much easier when you have a wall as the last line of defense.

This was the player who was promised, and at 23, he is on the Igor Shestyorkin path to superstardom.

The stars at the top, the quality in the middle, a blueline that is playing a lot better because they have total trust in their goalie.

The Sharks aren’t just ahead of schedule — they’re tearing it up and rewriting it.

This is a quality team right now, today. And while having all this youth means that nothing can be taken for granted, it’s hard not to daydream about a full arena for a seven-game series come April.

The first of many, I suspect.

Because with just Smith, Dickinson, No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft Michael Misa, and Askarov, the future for the Sharks would be so, so bright.

Put Celebrini on top of that?

It’s blinding.