Hockey Canada revealed their preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and Macklin Celebrini is the only Sharks representative.
It's a significant accomplishment for the now 19-year-old Celebrini, who is coming off an incredible rookie campaign for the Sharks. Celebrini recently represented Canada at the World Championships and had instant chemistry with Sidney Crosby, although it didn’t lead to much team success.
Celebrini certainly left an impact on the Penguins' superstar, who invited Celebrini and Will Smith to skate with him and Nathan MacKinnon in Nova Scotia. This should be a big help to both Celebrini and Smith, who are looking to continue improving in year two to be around not only two of the game's biggest superstars but also proven winners and leaders in the NHL.
Just because Celebrini made the preliminary roster doesn’t mean he will make the final roster. Canada’s talent pool is stacked with 26 proven NHL stars up front, with more experience than the teenage phenom. Celebirini is a game-breaking talent, however, and if he shows further refinement and improvement throughout the season, it will be hard to justify turning him away.
It will be interesting to see if any other Sharks end up making the Olympic Rosters for their respective countries. Eklund and Wennberg should be in contention to make Team Sweden but are far from locks. Will Smith has had success for the USA at the World Championships, winning gold earlier this year, but it will be an Uphill battle for him to crack Team USA at full power next year.
Whether Celebrini makes Team Canada or not, this is still a significant moment for the teenager to be in the conversation. Celebrini should be highly motivated heading into next season, not only to make Canada, but also to help the Sharks get some more wins next season.