Macklin Celebrini Earns Major Team Canada Honor After 2nd NHL Season

The San Jose Sharks rebuild was going very smoothly, and in 2024, the team landed superstar center Macklin Celebrini No. 1 overall, and already he has helped this franchise take several steps forward.

This past season was one of the best we’ve ever seen from a 19-year old in the history of the NHL, as he set the Sharks franchise record for points in a single campaign with 115 (45 goals, 70 assists in all 82 games). While the team were unable to find their way back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Celebrini leading the way, this team has an incredibly bright future, especially with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.

$San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates with the puck against the <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/teams/anaheim/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Anaheim Ducks;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-yga="{"yLinkElement":"context_link","yModuleName":"content-canvas","yLinkText":"Anaheim Ducks","ySubModuleName":"anchor_text","yHasCommerce":false}">Anaheim Ducks</a> in the second period at Honda Center.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images$

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates with the puck against the Anaheim Ducks in the second period at Honda Center.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Perhaps the biggest moment of Celebrini’s young career came in 2026 as well, as he was given a key role for Team Canada at the NHL’s return to the Olympic Games back in February, playing a key role in the top-six alongside some of the leagues biggest stars. In that tournament, Celebrini was fantastic, posting 4 goals and 8 points in 5 games as Canada fell short, claiming silver in what was a very good showing for the 19-year old.

Now, with the 2026 IIHF World Championship set to begin on May 15th, Team Canada have surprised the hockey world, as they officially named Celebrini captain ahead of the tournament.

At 19-years of age, many questioned whether he was suitable to be Canada’s captain, but with two fantastic veterans around him in Ryan O’Reilly and John Tavares, this is a solid leadership group for Team Canada as they look to bounce back from a 5th place finish in 2025.

He may not be captain of the San Jose Sharks (yet), with the position vacant since the departure of Logan Couture, but after the leadership he’s shown and the honor he has been given by Team Canada, it’s just a matter of when, not if he gets the C in San Jose too.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.