Macklin Celebrini

Macklin Richard Celebrini (born June 13, 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected first overall by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL entry draft, Celebrini made his NHL debut in the 2024–25 NHL season and was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Playing college ice hockey for the Boston University Terriers, Celebrini won the Hobey Baker Award during his freshman season, becoming the youngest player to do so.

Internationally, Celebrini has represented Canada multiple times, including the 2024 World Junior Championships, the 2025 and 2026 IIHF World Championships, and the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he became the youngest NHL player to play for Canada at the Olympics.

Early life Macklin Richard Celebrini was born on June 13, 2006, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Robyn and Rick Celebrini. Rick was a soccer player for the Vancouver 86ers and a former physiotherapist for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He was later hired by the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as their director of sports medicine and performance. Celebrini grew up a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team. His two younger siblings also play sports; his sister, Charlie, plays tennis, and his brother, R.J., is also a hockey player at the junior level.

Celebrini is of Croatian descent through his paternal grandfather, Anton Celebrini, who was born in Porat, a village on the island of Krk.

Playing career

Amateur Celebrini played minor hockey in Vancouver with the North Shore Winter Club before the family moved to San Jose, where he would spend the 2019–20 season with the San Jose Jr Sharks program. After helping the Steel reach the USHL's Eastern Conference Finals, Celebrini was named Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Forward of the Year, becoming the second USHL player to win all three awards, and the first to do so in a single season.

Celebrini committed to play for Boston University starting in the 2023–24 season, playing alongside his older brother Aiden.

Professional Celebrini was drafted first overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft by the San Jose Sharks, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks on July 6. The summer before his first professional season, Celebrini stayed with the Hughes family for two weeks—brothers Quinn, Jack and Luke all play in the NHL—where he spent his time preparing for entry into the league. He made his NHL debut on October 10, scoring his first goal and assist in a 5–4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Celebrini led all NHL forwards in puck battle wins per game in the first half of the 2024–25 season. In early April 2025, Celebrini and other Sharks players hosted a five-year-old cancer survivor in partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation, after the child wished to meet Celebrini.

On April 9, 2025, in a game against the Minnesota Wild, Celebrini scored his first NHL hat-trick, becoming the first rookie to do so in the 2024–25 season. Playing in 70 games, Celebrini finished the season with 25 goals, second most among rookies behind Matvei Michkov, and 63 points, tying with for second place with Michkov, behind Lane Hutson. Celebrini was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to NHL's best rookie, and was named to the league's All-Rookie Team. During the summer of 2025, Celebrini and Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks trained together in North Vancouver, with Celebrini stating that both players grew from each other.

Celebrini temporarily became the NHL's leading scorer during the start of the 2025–26 season, scoring 23 points in the first 15 games, the third player to reach this achievement after Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. Celebrini got a hat-trick and two assists in a five-point night against the New York Rangers, and a hat-trick against the Utah Mammoth in a 3–2 win less than a month later. He became the sixth teenager in NHL history, after Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk, Mario Lemieux, Jimmy Carson, and Sidney Crosby, to record 100 points in a season after he scored a goal against the St. Louis Blues on March 30. On April 16, Celebrini recorded a goal and two assists against the Winnipeg Jets to reach 115 points on the season, setting a new franchise record for most points by a Shark in a single season. The previous record was held by Joe Thornton, who had 114. Fourth overall in league scoring, he was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, given by the National Hockey League Players' Association to the "most outstanding" player in the NHL.

On July 14, 2026, Celebrini was announced as the cover athlete of NHL 27, becoming the youngest player to appear on the cover and the first Shark to do so since Owen Nolan in NHL 2001. He signed a five-year contract extension with the Sharks worth $18.8 million a year on July 29.

International play

Celebrini made his international debut for Canada with the under-17 team in the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. The following year, he was named to the under-18 team for the 2023 World U18 Championships, where he would score the bronze medal-winning goal against Slovakia in overtime. Celebrini later played with the junior team at the 2024 World Junior Championships, leading the team in scoring with four goals and four assists.

Following the conclusion of his debut collegiate season, Celebrini accepted an invitation to make his senior team debut at the 2024 World Championship, but was dropped from the roster following the addition of NHL players whose teams were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. He would make his debut the following year at the 2025 World Championship, recording three goals and three assists for a total of six points in eight games for Canada.

Celebrini was invited to Hockey Canada's 2025 National Teams Orientation Camp in anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics as the youngest player to be considered for the senior team at the time. On December 31, 2025, Celebrini was named to Canada's roster for the Winter Olympics, making him the youngest-ever NHL player on the Canadian men's Olympic team. In Milan, Celebrini assumed a key role for Canada in the tournament, playing on the team's top line alongside Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. He opened the scoring for Canada in a 5–0 win over the Czech Republic, surpassing Jonathan Toews to become the youngest Canadian NHL player to score an Olympic goal. He also had the most ice-time of any Canadian player in their 3–2 comeback victory over Finland in the semifinal round. Canada was ultimately defeated by the United States in the final, receiving the silver medal. Overall, Celebrini recorded five goals and five assists for 10 points in six games, finishing as the tournament's leading goal scorer and ranking second in points, and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.

Celebrini returned to Canada's roster for the 2026 World Championship as the team's captain, making him the second youngest player to ever captain Canada's senior team after Roy Heximer, who was named captain at 18 during the 1938 World Championship. Celebrini was voted to remain captain after Sidney Crosby, the national team captain for several international competitions starting from the 2014 Winter Olympics, was added to the roster following the Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff elimination. Canada ultimately reached the bronze medal game, losing in an upset to Norway. Celebrini led the team with 14 points in 10 games, and was named the Best Forward of the tournament, as well as to the All-Star Team.

Personal life Celebrini lived with former San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton for the first two years. During San Jose Sharks Pride Night in 2025, Celebrini was one of many players who taped their sticks with Pride or rainbow tape, stating that while it may be a small gesture Celebrini wanted to show his support through taping his stick.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2021–22 Shattuck-Saint Mary's Midget AAA 52 50 67 117 44 11 8 12 20 12 2022–23 Chicago Steel USHL 50 46 40 86 62 2 0 0 0 2 2023–24 Boston University HE 38 32 32 64 18 — — — — — 2024–25 San Jose Sharks NHL 70 25 38 63 28 — — — — — 2025–26 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 45 70 115 44 — — — — —NHL totals 152 70 108 178 72 — — — — —

International

Awards and honours Award Year RefUSHL USHL Player of the Year 2023 Hockey East All-Rookie Team 2024 Hockey East Scoring Champion 2024 Hobey Baker Award 2024 AHCA East First Team All-American 2024 NHL NHL All-Rookie Team 2025 Sharks Rookie of the Year 2025