The San Jose Sharks announced that Macklin Celebrini continues his breakout sophomore campaign after scoring twice and adding two assists in Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over Calgary.
Veteran forward Tyler Toffoli joked about his 19-year-old teammate during a recent media session at Scotiabank Arena. “He’s playing really well. He’s just a really shitty guy,” Toffoli said with a straight face.
Laughter filled the visitor’s dressing room as Celebrini stared at Toffoli from a neighboring stall.
“He’s hard to be around,” the 33-year-old Toffoli added, “so you hope he just keeps scoring.”
The playful exchange highlights what’s happening with the NHL’s youngest everyday player this season. Celebrini doesn’t turn 20 until June. He can’t legally drink in the United States until after his third NHL season.
Celebrini’s 51 points rank third in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid.
He’s recorded three or more points in nine games over two months. Calgary became his latest victim when he scored the game-winner plus two primary assists Tuesday night.
“Every time you think he’s going to maybe slow down and maybe hit a speed bump, he doesn’t. He just keeps going,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters afterward.
The 2024 No. 1 pick won’t slow down anytime soon. His polished game has him in Hart Trophy contention and potentially heading to the Olympics.
Sidney Crosby 2.0
Celebrini entered this season as a franchise cornerstone after earning Calder Trophy finalist honors with 63 rookie points.
He’s now rocketing into megastar territory just 34 games into Year 2.
An opposing head coach described him to theScore as “probably a top 10 NHL forward” in late October. A rival front-office member called him a “top 10 player regardless of position” in mid-December.
“I see the Sid similarities, for sure,” Sharks forward Adam Gaudette said. “As Mack gets bigger and stronger, he’ll fit that description even more. He’s still a kid. Once he matures, man, it’s going to be scary.”
“Mack can be the best player in the world at some point.”
Celebrini possesses elite hockey sense and skates extremely well. He’s an equally gifted passer and shooter who takes pride in defensive duties.
Most of those traits were present last season. But he’s leveraging his world-class shot by being more direct and decisive this year.
“He’s got such a good, heavy shot, whether it’s his one-timer or his wrist shot. Everything has power,” Sharks assistant coach Jeff Ulmer told theScore.
“He’s learned this year to not be so fine with it. Last year, he was really trying to pick these little spots to shoot from, whereas this year, for the most part, he’s been firing pucks towards and on the net.”
Celebrini is on pace for 43 goals after scoring at a 21-goal pace last year.
His shot lands in the 93rd percentile in average speed, according to NHL Edge. The compact 6-foot, 190-pound center generates transfer speed that goes right through goalies.
“He works on it,” Ulmer said. “To his credit, he’s out there, the first one on the ice during practice days. We’re feeding him pucks. He wants more and more and more. Sometimes you have to kick him off the ice.”
Celebrini competes physically and isn’t afraid to get into battles. His defensive tracking has impressed teammates like Mario Ferraro.
“We want him to make plays. So, when the puck is turned over, which is going to happen sometimes, he’s the first one back,” Ferraro said. “That’s a big quality to have in your game, especially if you’re a high-end skilled guy.”
Ulmer noted another improvement: “He knows how to use his body. He can go into a battle against a 30-year-old power forward and come out with the puck 75% of the time.”
The assistant coach said Celebrini has also cut down on low-percentage plays in the neutral zone.
“He’s a driven kid,” Ulmer said of Celebrini’s constant drive to improve. “Anything he can do to be a little bit better the next day, he’ll do it.”
Team Canada and MVP
Born in 2006, Celebrini is still eligible for the upcoming world juniors. He doesn’t have core memories from Canada’s Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
Making the 2026 Olympic team remains a motivating goal for the North Vancouver native.
Canada named seven players to their 25-man roster in June, including Sidney Crosby, MacKinnon and McDavid. The final 19 selections will be announced December 31.
Celebrini should be a lock as one of the top 14 forwards on the planet.
His polished, team-first game would allow coaches to play him with anyone on any line. Canada’s stacked at center, so the Sharks alternate captain is likely being considered for left wing.
Age and inexperience are the only knocks against Celebrini. He doesn’t play like a typical sophomore, however.
MacKinnon leads Hart Trophy betting as the season nears its halfway point. But Celebrini is firmly in the conversation as the Sharks’ undisputed MVP.
He leads San Jose with a plus-12 five-on-five goal differential.
Celebrini has recorded a point on 50% of the Sharks’ 102 total goals this season. MacKinnon and McDavid have earned points on 42% and 48% of their teams’ goals, respectively.
On Tuesday, Celebrini became the fastest Shark and third-fastest teenager in league history to reach 50 points. The other teens: Wayne Gretzky and Crosby.
The 17-14-3 Sharks currently occupy a playoff spot. If they hold onto it, the end-of-season MacKinnon-Celebrini debate will be fierce.
Celebrini will likely contend for the Art Ross Trophy every season for a decade. But it’s his shift-to-shift impact and three-zone brilliance that makes him special.
Here are the metrics where Celebrini ranks top 20 among NHL forwards:
| Sportlogiq metric | ’25-26 per-game rank |
|---|---|
| Stick checks | 2nd |
| Blocked passes | 3rd (tied) |
| Zone exits | 3rd |
| End-to-end rushes | 3rd |
| Slot-pass completions | 4th |
| Zone entries | 6th |
| Forecheck chances | 8th |
| All scoring chances | 15th |
| O-zone possession | 19th |
John Matisz is theScore’s senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email.
