Well, Macklin Celebrini fell just a little bit short of having a storybook start to his NHL career. Making his debut last night against the St. Louis Blues, the number one pick lived up to the hype and scored his pro career’s first goal right away. Then, he even added an assist to his name as the San Jose Sharks enjoyed a comfortable 4-1 lead. But what was looking like a dream ending to an incredible debut quickly turned into a nightmare as the Sharks blew their massive lead and lost the game in overtime. Amid the devastating loss that left the fans stunned, Draymond Green gave Celebrini a much-deserved pat on the back.

With the Sharks playing the game in SAP Center, Draymond was also present at the tank to enjoy Mack’s debut live. Sitting next to him was his teammate Kevon Looney. Obviously, the Bay Area stars were there to root for the 18-year-old rookie as Macklin is the son of Warriors’ Director of Sports Medicine and Performance, Dr. Rick Celebrini. Sure enough, Draymond and the crew have known Mack since he was a kid and he has grown into an elite athlete right in front of their eyes.

Although Macklin lost his first career game, Draymond was hyped after seeing his impressive debut and tweeted mid game, “MACKLIN!!!!! Unreal” Sure enough, the teenager’s debut was in fact unreal as he did an insane spin move to hit the shot that got him his first ever NHL goal. Despite the loss, Mack will never forget this night, “It was awesome. It’s everything I thought it would be for my first game. It was an amazing experience and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.”

Moreover, the rookie also broke some records in his first appearance. With his goal and assist both coming in the first period, he became the youngest player in league history to tally two points in his debut’s first period. On top of that, he also became the youngest Sharks player ever to score in his debut. And due to his lighting fast speed, he now has the second fastest first goal ever from a top draft pick. Unreal indeed.

Draymond Green realized Macklin’s potential before he got drafted due to his “Unmatched” focus

While the world is just getting used to hearing his name, Draymond has known Macklin since he was a kid due to the ties with his father. And even before he got picked number one overall, Green anticipated it happening in an interview, “I know San Jose Sharks, they should be drafting Mack and he should be coming back to the Bay.”

And Green even highlighted what sets the teenager apart from the competition, “Been an absolutely incredible experience watching his growth. Since the time he came here at like 11 or 12 years old and just seeing him put the work in with his father each and every day and the focus that he has for a 17-year-old is unmatched by any 17-year-old I’ve ever seen.”

Sure enough, the rookie proved the Warriors veteran right in just one game with his impressive all-around performance. And he even showed that winning is a priority for him over individual accolades with his postgame comments, “It was cool to get the firsts for both in my career but we lost so it sucks.” Hopefully, the next time Macklin hits the ice, he will also have his first NHL victory in the bag.