Celebrini has taken the world by storm at this year’s 2026 Winter Olympics. Expectations were high for the 19-year old phenom, who was the youngest player to ever be named to Team Canada for the Olympics. Yet somehow, as Celebrini has done throughout his life, has managed to eclipse even the most optimistic expectations of how he would perform at the NHL’s return to the Olympics.
Playing on McDavid’s wing, Celebrini has been exceptional with 5 goals and 9 points in 4 games, shattering the all-time record for points by a teenager at the Olympics, formally held by Evgeni Malkin, and placing him 2nd behind McDavid in overall scoring. Celebrini has not been a passenger either; he has kept up with McDavid’s insane pace and made high-level plays of his own.
Watching what Celebrini can be when he is not tasked with being the “savior” on the ice has also been a treat to watch. It highlights just how impressive the little details of his game and off-puck play are in supporting his line. Celebrini will probably always be the straw that stirs the drink for the Sharks, but it does give a glimpse of what Celebrini could look like down the road when the Sharks team has better depth and talent around him, specifically on the backend and power play, so he doesn't need to do all the work himself to create offense on most nights. McDavid had nothing but praise for Celebrini, calling him “An impressive kid”
"At 19 years old, he's a great, young player," said McDavid. "Not just because he's so good with the puck, but just all the little things he does, the hard work he puts into the game. He's good along the wall, wins battles, plays just a hard game. An impressive kid."
In any case, it’s been an incredible Olympics for Celebrini, and it's really driven home that Celebrini is not just the future of Hockey, but one of the best players in the world right now.
In other Sharks Olympic news, Pavol Regenda and Slovakia advanced to the medal round. Slovakia has been a bit of a Cinderella story, winning their pool and making it to a top-4 finish at worst. Regenda has been an important piece in that, with 4 points in 4 games, and has continued his strong play over the last few months in the NHL on the international stage.
Kurashev and Wennberg were both eliminated yesterday, with Switzerland and Sweden losing in the Quarters. Kurahshev had a good tournament, registering 3 points in 5 games, before losing to Finland in a heartbreaker. While Wennberg went pointless in 5 games, playing as a 4th-line center for the Swedes, who had a disappointing tournament overall.