With the question floating around all summer, and other teams rolling out their captaincy announcements, San Jose Sharks fans couldn’t help but wonder when the day would finally come that Macklin Celebrini was named captain. Today, the wait is finally over. Entering his third season in the NHL at only 20-years-old, Celebrini has officially been named the 11th (full-time) captain in San Jose Sharks history.
Drafted first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, he has set the standard of what an elite hockey player is at every stage of his career, and has never been anything short of mindbogglingly outstanding. With an impressive amount of poise and calmness, especially at a young age, Celebrini’s skill coupled with his maturity has resulted in him consistently falling into leadership roles. He has never needed time to adjust to unfamiliar, and stressful, surroundings and his ability to take on massive amounts of responsibility without faltering in the slightest is admirable.
Right off the bat in the 2024-2025 season, Celebrini was impressive in his rookie year at just 18-years-old. Needing absolutely no adjustment period, it was clear the Sharks had found the right player to build the entire future of the organization around. Jumping in, immediately ready to impress, Macklin Celebrini played 70 games and recorded a team-leading 63 points (25G, 38A). Although he did not win the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year), he was a top-three finalist and named to the NHL All-Rookie team. He even impressed so much, Team Canada named him to their World Championship roster that summer where he notched 6 points (3G, 3A) in eight games.
Last year, Celebrini managed to somehow take his immense ability to another level. The clear leader of the team in every way possible, he became one of the most dominant players in the entire league as a teenager. In a full 82-game season, Celebrini led the Sharks in goals (45), assists (70) and total points (115). His 115 points even broke the single-season franchise point record of Sharks legend, Joe Thornton-a record that had been in place for literally Celebrini’s entire lifetime (19 years). Considering he was the only player on the team to break 30 goals, 40 assists, and 60 total points, it’s not surprising he was named fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy (the league’s most valuable player to his team) and second for the Ted Lindsay Award (the league’s best player voted on by their peers).
During the Olympic break, he had the honor of becoming the youngest player in Olympic history, with NHL participation, to ever represent Team Canada at 19-years-old. He dazzled everyone on the international stage, being instrumental to leading the team to their silver medal with 10 points (5G, 5A) in six games. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this run was his level-headedness and ability to fill in for the sorely missed presence of Sidney Crosby when he got injured. Easily filling in Crosby’s place on the power play and quarterbacking plays, leading the tournament with goals, Macklin Celebrini was so outstanding he was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.
Following the close of the NHL season, it was a no-brainer for Team Canada to add him to the World Championship roster once again. However, this time he was honored with the captaincy. In a team-wide vote, that included long-time captain Crosby, the torch officially was passed to Celebrini and a new generation of talent has officially taken over. In 10 games in the tournament, he was crowned the best forward, added to the All-Star team, and named the IIHF’s Male Player of the Year thanks to his U20-leading 14 points (6G, 8A).
With a remarkable resume and endless list of accolades under his belt, naming Celebrini the newest captain of the San Jose Sharks is an easy choice. Easily handling the pressure of taking over for the legendary Sidney Crosby as Captain Canada shows he’s more than well-equipped to handle the Sharks’ captaincy. A great hockey player, with an even better head on his shoulders, Celebrini is ready to usher the NHL into a new era.
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