The Toronto Maple Leafs host the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Arena on Monday, Oct. 19, in a game that doubles as a showcase for two generational prospects. Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna will skate against San Jose captain Macklin Celebrini for the first time in NHL play, a matchup that pits the 2026 No. 1 draft pick against the man who went first overall two years earlier.
A rare meeting of No. 1 picks
McKenna will face Macklin Celebrini for the first time in the NHL when the Maple Leafs are home against San Jose at Scotiabank Arena on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Celebrini, the Sharks captain in his third NHL season, is the most recent forward prior to McKenna to be selected No. 1, when San Jose chose him in the 2024 NHL Draft.
What McKenna took from training with Celebrini
The two spent part of the off-season training together in Vancouver, and McKenna has leaned on that experience as he adjusts to the pro game. “He's a young player, very talented and I got to see that this summer in skating with him and see how hard he works and how talented he is,” McKenna said. “Honestly, it's no surprise to see what he's doing. He's a super-inspirational guy and to see what he's doing as a young kid, for me coming into the League, it's a big motivator.”
Celebrini's rapid ascent
Celebrini has set a high bar, putting up 115 points on 45 goals and 70 assists in 82 games last season — nearly double his rookie total — and he already has 11 points in six games this season. That production has made him one of the faces of a young Sharks core being built around him.
McKenna's bumpy start in Toronto
McKenna is nine games into his NHL career. He opened the season without a point in three games, then ran off a four-game point streak with two goals and three assists. The ride has not been smooth, though.
McKenna played just 6:36 in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sabres and sat out the rest of that night, and he spoke afterward about the conversation he had with coach Jim Hiller. Hiller explained the decision bluntly: “That was my decision. We went for a stretch, he sat through the penalties.” The benching added an extra layer of intrigue to Monday's meeting with the player McKenna leaned on all summer for guidance.
Sharks arrive off a tough shootout loss
San Jose comes into Toronto fresh off a hard-fought road game in Detroit. Trailing 3-1 in the third period, the Red Wings mounted a comeback against the visiting Sharks at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night. Celebrini still had a strong individual showing, finishing with a goal and two assists, while Dmitry Orlov and rookie Ivar Stenberg supplied the Sharks' power-play goals.
Detroit eventually won it in the shootout, and the result left both clubs in tight early-season company. Detroit improved to 3-3-2 for eight points, while San Jose dropped to 4-3-1 with nine points heading into the Toronto back-to-back stretch. That record shows a Sharks team still finding consistency even as Celebrini continues to produce at a point-per-game pace.
Where to watch and what's next
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena, with the broadcast set for TVA Sports and Sportsnet+ for viewers in Canada. The Maple Leafs will be looking to build on their own young core after a busy stretch of roster moves, including the trade that sent Matthew Knies to Columbus earlier this season.
For now, the attention in Toronto centres on two teenagers who spent their summer skating side by side and will spend Monday night lined up against each other. Fans of both the NHL and of San Jose's rebuild can also follow how the Sharks' trip west unfolds after Toronto, including their recent stop against Edmonton detailed in this Oilers-Sharks preview.