Utah
How Celebrini completely controlled Sharks' Rookie Faceoff win vs. Utah
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
LOS ANGELES — Sharks prospect Macklin Celebrini looked like he was a level above the rest of the competition in his Rookie Faceoff debut on Friday at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.
And well, he should, as the 2024 No. 1 overall pick coming into a prospects tournament.
But regardless, it was a good sign for the Sharks that Celebrini stepped right in to lead the team to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club in his first true game action in teal.
And it wasn’t just his power play goal, off a bullet shot, which tied the contest at two apiece midway through the third period.
Celebrini scores 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sREVgYvbB7
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) September 13, 2024
Celebrini controlled the tempo of the game almost every time that he was on the ice.
He took pucks from Utah players on multiple occasions, going from defense to offense with hair-on-fire rushes.
He almost always was on top of the puck defensively, and rarely let his man behind him.
He played with pace offensively, moving the puck decisively.
The final score was too close for comfort for the Sharks, but it felt like Utah hardly touched the puck whenever Celebrini was on the ice.
“Puck’s on his stick almost every time he’s on the ice, right? He controls the play when he’s on the ice,” head coach John McCarthy said. “He obviously sees the ice very well. I was very impressed with Celebrini’s competitiveness on loose pucks.”
Macklin breaks his stick 😅 pic.twitter.com/X7dhWH6xQ2
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) September 13, 2024
Ethan Cardwell, who scored the game-winner and led the Sharks himself with tone-setting physicality, was every bit as impressed.
“He’s an incredible player,” the alternate captain said. “He plays with so much pace. He sees the ice well. I was getting passes I didn’t think could come through in certain spots. So he really opens up the ice for all the other players out there. You got to be head on a swivel and be ready, because he’ll make a pass that nobody’s expecting.”
What’s scary for the rest of the NHL? Celebrini believes that he has a lot more to give.
“It was my first game, so I didn’t think I was very good. There’s still some wrinkles,” Celebrini said. “I thought we played well.”
As the teenager himself noted, this game was about more than one player.
Besides having the best prospect in the world in Celebrini, the Sharks also brought 2024 first-rounder Sam Dickinson, 2023 first-rounders Will Smith and Quentin Musty, 2022 first-rounder Filip Bystedt and more to Rookie Faceoff.
Celebrini or not, it felt like San Jose controlled the play for most of the afternoon.
Will Smith moving the puck 🏒 pic.twitter.com/j4Q7kqajdO
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) September 13, 2024
This isn’t even including defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin, who won’t be playing in the Rookie Faceoff because of what McCarthy termed “general soreness,” and Yaroslav Askarov, arguably the top goaltending prospect in the world.
Mukhamadullin, by the way, is expected to be ready for the beginning of training camp next Thursday.
There’s a reason why Elite Prospects recently named the Sharks the best prospects pool in the NHL.
This is 2021 fourth-rounder Cardwell’s fourth rookie tourney with the Sharks, and he can see it.
“You can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel here,” Cardwell said. “For sure, the prospect pool is amazing, and you see these guys play with so much skill and confidence these days.”
So is this the first of many wins for the new era of the Sharks?
“Yeah,” Smith said with a grin.
“First of many wins as a Shark, you hope?”
Will Smith: “Yeah” pic.twitter.com/yXSWVQbIDW
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) September 13, 2024
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Utah
Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized
A Utah mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up.
Shannon Tufuga, 40, was slapped with kidnapping charges Monday after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.
Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged.
She allegedly hightailed it back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son.
The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged.
Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home.
The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents.
Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.”
Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.
Utah
Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors
The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Toronto Raptors to kick off their new week for their second of two meetings across this season, where the Jazz in particular have ruled out a total of seven names on their injury report.
Here’s what the injury landscape looks like for the Jazz and Raptors rolling into the night:
Utah Jazz Injury Report
OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)
OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)
OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)
OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)
OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)
OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)
QUESTIONABLE – Cody Williams (shoulder)
It’s much of the same from what the Jazz have been dealing with across the past couple of weeks.
Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen still remain out with their minor injuries that they’ve suffered past the All-Star break, and Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic remain out for the year with their respective season-ending injuries.
However, the two names that stick out on this injury report against the Raptors in particular are their two first round picks from the 2024 NBA Draft; Isaiah Collier who’s out with a hamstring injury, while Cody Williams is the latest to be among those listed with a shoulder issue.
For Collier, it’s set to be a third-straight game that he’s been out due to what’s been labeled hamstring soreness, and thus leave the Jazz without both their starting and second-string point guard for the night.
That could lead to either two-way signee Elijah Harkless getting a starting nod for a second straight game following his elevation against the Philadelphia 76ers, or that spot could go to 10-day signing Kennedy Chandler, who played 35 minutes in that same game for a career-high 19 points in his team debut.
As for Williams, he’s been downgraded to questionable for the action due to shoulder soreness; something that could leave him still able to go before tip-off, but remains to be seen based on how he feels before gametime.
The second-year forward has been on a hot streak as of late. In his past five games, he’s averaged an impressive 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 50.0% from the field throughout.
If Williams is out of the mix, it’ll leave their frontcourt a bit more shorthanded from what they’ve been used to across the past couple of weeks, and might lead to even more minutes for guys like 10-day signee Bez Mbeng and two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe to fill those minutes.
Toronto Raptors Injury Report
OUT – Immanuel Quickley (foot)
OUT – Jakob Poeltl (rest)
QUESTIONABLE – Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)
When it comes to the Raptors, they’ll be without a couple of guys on their roster, Immanuel Quickley who’s slated to miss out due to a foot injury, while Jakob Poeltl won’t be playing for Toronto’s second leg of a back-to-back following their previous battle against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Collin Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, has been upgraded to questionable against the Jazz with an illness after previously being out against the Nuggets over the weekend.
Tip-off between the Jazz and Raptors lands at 9 p.m. MT in the Delta Center, where Toronto will have their chance at a 2-0 series sweep over Utah depending on the results.
Utah
POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth
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