Gavin McKenna and Macklin Celebrini trained together in the offseason — and now the pair of former No. 1 overall picks will play against each other for the first time in the NHL when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.

Celebrini, who was selected first in 2024, enjoyed a strong rookie campaign, managing 63 points in 70 games. But the true breakout came last year, when he established himself as one of the best players in the NHL by amassing 115 points in 82 games.

“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 told NHL.com's Dave McCarthy ahead of the cross-conference tilt.

“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 also played a starring role for Team Canada internationally at the Winter Olympics in Milan and World Championships in Switzerland. Completely unsurprisingly, he was named the captain of the Sharks in late September.

“Just how hard he works,” McKenna said when asked what impressed him most about Celebrini, per McCarthy. “We spent a lot of time on the ice and in the gym and I think honestly that translates to his on ice stuff.

“When you're working hard off the ice, it just improves your game. To see him have that motivation at a young age is pretty cool.”

McKenna would love to take a similar path as his offseason training partner, although his rookie campaign has already seen its share of ups and downs through just nine games under Toronto's microscope.

Despite recording five points in that span, he was benched for the final 32:54 of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday by head coach Jim Hiller.

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He bounced back by playing a shade under 18 minutes in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders on Saturday.

The Leafs enter Monday looking to snap a three-game skid at 3-4-2 and dead last in the Atlantic Division. The Sharks are 4-3-1, coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Both teams would love to get the victory to start the week strong, and McKenna and Celebrini will be among the players to watch in the tilt.

Puck drops just past 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena.