The NHL’s Art Ross Trophy race has some familiar faces at the top. Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon leads all players with 33 points, while Edmonton Oilers counterpart Connor McDavid sits tied for second place with 30 points.
However, there are some new faces near the top of the scoring race this season, and they’re thrilling hockey fans.
The youngsters – San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard – are well on their way to establishing themselves as legitimate contenders to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point-getter.
Bedard, 20, has 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points in 19 games, good for a whopping 1.53 points per game.
And Celebrini, 19, is tied with McDavid with 30 points, consisting of 13 goals and 17 assists. He’s averaging 1.50 points per game.
Both players already have two hat tricks this season and two game-winning goals each. Celebrini’s third goal was the overtime-winner on Tuesday night against the Utah Mammoth. That said, they’re on scoring tears that aren’t sustainable.
Celebrini’s shooting percentage is 22.8 percent. Last season – his rookie season – his shooting percentage was 10.6 percent. Similarly, Bedard’s shooting percentage is 20 percent, and he averaged 11.2 percent in the last two seasons. There’s almost certainly going to be some regression for Bedard and Celebrini, but there will also be improvements year-upon-year, and the start to this season is a clear-cut sign of it.
It’s terrific to see a new generation of budding superstars making a name for themselves. Just as McDavid and MacKinnon represent their generation of elite players, Celebrini and Bedard will be tied together and measured as part of the same group of top talents. They’ll also eventually be teammates on Team Canada, although it remains to be seen whether they’re teammates at the 2026 Olympics or at the next World Cup of Hockey.
But when it comes to their NHL team’s macro picture, it’s also fantastic to see Bedard and Celebrini revitalizing hockey cities that not so long ago were places any player would want to be.
The Blackhawks have suffered for years without an elite talent in the post-Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Era, and Bedard is exactly the type of player who can impose his will on games and help his Hawks teammates elevate their game to top-tier levels.
The same goes for Celebrini with the Sharks. In the Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau Era, San Jose was a destination city for elite players. They didn’t win one Stanley Cup during their years of contention, while Chicago won it all three times. But as their competitive cycle turned into rebuild mode, the Sharks have desperately needed a centerpiece talent to be the straw that stirs the drink in Northern California. That’s what Celebrini is proving he can be.
NHL Hart Trophy Rankings: Bedard And Celebrini Crack A Surprising Top Five
Are the kids taking over? Bedard and Celebrini are among our top five NHL Hart Trophy front-runners so far, but there’s no doubt two Avalanche superstars are crucial to their team’s success.
The best part about Celebrini and Bedard’s early performances this season is the fact they’ve barely scratched the surface of what they’re capable of. As they continue to develop and flourish, they’re going to be the rising tide that lifts all boats in their cities. But by ratcheting up their performances to new heights this season, Bedard and Celebrini have already carved out a special place in their respective towns.
Don’t get it twisted – icons like McDavid and MacKinnon are going to remain at or near the top of the Art Ross race until further notice. But it’s a thrill to see some new top talents staking their own claim as first-rate point-producers and revitalizing some avid hockey cities in the process.
Bedard and Celebrini will push each other to new heights. And Chicago and San Jose will reap the rewards.
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