Hockey fans have been blessed to watch Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin for the past 20 years. As they have approached elder status in the NHL, it was ulcer who was going to take the torch from them once they’re gone. Connor McDavid is great, too, but he’s already 29. The answer is clear now. Macklin Celebrini is going to be the face of the NHL for a long time, and he’s going to do a great job of it. This kid is legit.
Celebrini has only spent two seasons in the NHL, but he has made it clear that he is a serious threat. He broke the San Jose Sharks franchise record for points in a season this year with 115 points, passing Joe Thornton. The Sharks star scored or assisted on 45.8% of San Jose’s 251 goals this season. Celebrini finished fourth in the NHL in points and seventh in assists while increasing the Sharks’ win total from last season by 19 wins. He did all that at 19 years old.
The future captain of San Jose became the third fastest teenager to reach 90 points in a season behind Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. Celebrini then became the seventh teenager in NHL history to record 100 points, a feat that Crosby accomplished twice. Celebrini joins Gretzky as the only teenagers in NHL history with 40 goals and 70 assists in a season. Being in the same conversation as those guys is legendary stuff.
Two years into his NHL career, Celebrini has changed the entire outlook of the Sharks organization. After selecting Celebrini first overall in 2024, San Jose got Michael Misa last year with the second overall pick. The Sharks have now lucked into having the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after falling short of the playoffs by an inch. The reemergence of San Jose is coming soon, and it is reminiscent of the Penguins’ rise with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
Disagree? Join the Stadium Rant iPhone App open sports community and tell us.
In addition to tearing up the NHL, Celebrini went to Milan to show his skills at the Olympics this season. He is the youngest player to ever represent Canada at the Olympics. Playing on a line with McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, Celebrini led the tournament in goals and points by registering five goals and five assists for ten points. Filling the scoresheet like that on a national stage is unheard of. What this kid is doing is extraordinary.
The Canadians weren’t able to capture a gold medal in Milan, but they should be encouraged by Celebrini’s leadership as they look to the future. It was a great experience for him, and existing in the orbit of Crosby for a few weeks can only help a young player. Crosby does everything the right way. If Celebrini turns out like him, it would be safe to call that a good career. Adding a gold medal to the mantle would’ve been nice, but that will have to wait until 2030 in France. The United States won this gold medal, but Canada will be back with a vengeance. They can’t be taken lightly in 2030.
If there were any questions about Celebrini’s legitimacy after his rookie season, he put them to bed in his second season. It’s clear that this kid is a bona fide superstar, and the hockey community needs to accept him as one. With Crosby and Ovechkin on the backend of their legendary career, it’s comforting to know that players like Celebrini and Connor Bedard are coming to grab the torch, whenever that is.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
