The NHL’s new must-watch star: Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini has execs, scouts and players in awe
When the Tkachuk brothers veered into a discussion about their favorite NHL players to watch this season on a recent episode of their “Wingmen” podcast, Brady Tkachuk pointed to a relatively new name.
“For forwards, it’s (Macklin) Celebrini,” the Ottawa Senators captain said, echoing a sentiment that has reverberated throughout the hockey world this fall. “He’s an unreal player.”
Whether it be in dressing rooms or press boxes, player polls or podcasts, no hockey player is generating as much buzz as Celebrini right now. The 19-year-old San Jose Sharks sophomore has rocketed up the league’s scoring list and carving out a venerated place in the sport’s lore.
Not yet 100 games into his pro career, Celebrini appears to be well on his way to becoming your favorite player’s favorite player.
From every corner of the NHL — execs, scouts, players, coaches — you’ll hear the same thing.
Here’s how a veteran scout with more than 20 years of NHL experience described him to The Athletic: “Celebrini is 87. Love that kid.”
Comparisons to Sidney Crosby don’t typically get thrown around lightly in hockey circles. For obvious reasons, it’s viewed as an unfair practice.
But what gets mentioned frequently in conversations about Celebrini is how determined he is to engage in puck battles and compete for the difficult areas of the ice. How he’s arrived in the world’s best hockey league with a keen attention to detail and an infectious attitude. How he’s already emerged as a leader worthy of a letter and started raising the ceiling for an organization that hasn’t seen a playoff game in almost seven years.
Like Crosby, he’s much more than just a scorer — and still, Celebrini’s 34 points are tied with Connor McDavid for second in the NHL behind only Nathan MacKinnon’s 37 this season, with Celebrini and MacKinnon slated to meet in a box-office game Wednesday in Denver.
“He’s awesome,” said a scout for a rival Western Conference team. “He’s such a well-rounded player who plays both ends. He works away from the puck, too, which you don’t always expect from someone that young and that skilled.”
Celebrini is half Crosby’s age and has already endeared himself to Captain Canada. They skated on the same line during the IIHF World Championship in May and spent time training together alongside MacKinnon in Halifax later in the summer.
What stands out most to Crosby about Celebrini?
“His hunger, his passion for the game (and) how hard he works.”
He sees a teenager who has grown by leaps and bounds even over the 14 months since making his NHL debut.
“He’s an incredible player,” Crosby said. “Just his all-around game at his age is pretty impressive. He’s committed defensively. He competes hard. He’s got a pretty mature game for his age.”
The maturity was what stood out most to John Tavares when he met Celebrini at Team Canada’s summer orientation camp in August. Tavares said you never would have known he was the youngest player there — a testament, he felt, to the elite athletic environment Celebrini was raised in thanks to his father Rick, who is the director of sports medicine and performance with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
MacKinnon picked up on it right away, too, after sharing a dressing room with Celebrini at the World Championship.
“He is miles ahead of where I was at 18, mentally,” he told NHL.com during that event.
The best measure of his impact can be found in the encouraging and unexpected 11-9-3 start by the Sharks this season. That has them in the mix to chase a wild-card playoff spot after years spent in the NHL basement, and Celebrini has recorded at least a point in every one of their victories so far.
His standout performances include two hat tricks and two overtime winners.
While he’s surrounded by a group of peers in San Jose that should eventually return the team to contender status collectively, including close friend Will Smith, it is only Celebrini who appears to be delivering on his immense promise ahead of schedule.
That hasn’t escaped notice of NBA star Draymond Green, who first met Celebrini as a pre-teen after his father was hired by the Warriors. Green has worn a No. 71 Sharks jersey to his own games and recently told reporters he believes Celebrini’s gifts include an uncanny ability to create space for himself to make big plays.
pic.twitter.com/PxsiH0AOXr https://t.co/DnBaMIYfGk
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 21, 2025
“His brain is as good if not better than his skill set, and his skill set is one of the best in the league already,” Green said. “I am impressed by him, to say the least, and I’m looking forward to watching him chase greatness. When you’re being compared to the greats at 18 — man. LeBron James was compared to the greats at 18, and he outlived it. Mack has that thing.”
Celebrini’s growing popularity can be attributed, in part, to how likable he comes off: a grounded, modest kid who is thrilled to be living out his dream, unaffected by the adulation.
After scoring all three goals in a 3-2 overtime win over Utah on Nov. 18, Celebrini arrived for his postgame media interview shirtless and wearing a giant shark-tooth necklace at the urging of veteran teammate Ryan Reaves.
“He’s a beauty,” said Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson, who has known Celebrini since they were kids taking part in open skates at the North Shore Winter Club in Vancouver.
Those sessions often featured Celebrini and Connor Bedard holding their own against much older players. A decade later, Bedard is enjoying his own star turn with the Chicago Blackhawks and nearly matching Celebrini goal for goal, point for point — all while being publicly supportive of his peer’s achievements. Celebrini has returned that praise to Bedard.
Looking back, this is a natural next step for both of them.
Celebrini moved from Vancouver to California when his dad took the Warriors job and then progressed through a series of top hockey factories, going from Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota to the USHL’s Chicago Steel to the Boston University Terriers before getting drafted by the Sharks.
For those who crossed paths with him along the way, it’s only natural to see Celebrini’s name quickly shoot up the NHL’s scoring chart.
“I’ve seen it since he was seven years old playing against my little brother and scoring five goals every game,” said Boston Bruins forward Fraser Minten. “I’m not really surprised, to be honest. He’s such a stud. He works super hard. Super competitive guy, too, so he doesn’t really have any holes in his game with all of the skill he has. It makes for, like people have been saying, that kind of Crosby-like player. He’s got it all. Super competitive, good kid.
“The world’s his oyster right now.”
Johnson is still part of offseason skates in Vancouver that include Celebrini and believes his knack for winning stick battles is one of the things that help separate him from the pack. Good luck coming away with the puck in a head-to-head matchup with Celebrini when they do competitive drills in practice.
“It’s insane just how strong and good he is with his stick,” Johnson said. “He’s really good at everything. I could rave about everything about his game pretty much.”
It’s little wonder that Celebrini has been in the middle of so much Olympic roster debate, especially north of the border. He’s vying to become the youngest Canadian ever selected by the men’s team for an Olympic tournament featuring NHL players.
At least one former Team Canada player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, believes it would be a mistake to leave Celebrini at home.
“They have to take him,” the former Olympian told The Athletic. “He could penalty kill if you needed. He could play the fourth line. Or he could play with Sid.”
As the hype builds for Celebrini, the league is catching up to a reality that was apparent to those in San Jose as soon as he arrived.
Franchise legend Joe Thornton took the stage in Las Vegas to announce Celebrini as the No. 1 pick at the 2024 NHL Draft and has since taken him in as a house guest, watching these early days of his career from a front-row seat.
“Oh f—, he’s just good,” said Thornton, a recent inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame. “He’s that good. He’s just so competitive. He’s just strong. He’s motivated. He’s just got everything. I’ll be honest with you. He’s a full 200-foot player.”
When it was suggested that Celebrini is seemingly becoming everyone’s favorite player because of all the buzz and praise he’s generating, Thornton broke into a wide grin.
“He probably should be.”
