Macklin Celebrini's Next Big Honor To Come Within Weeks

It's been quite the year for Macklin Celebrini. He exploded into superstar status, with a scintillating 45-goal, 115-point season for the San Joe Sharks. That was good for 4th in the NHL scoring race, and a 4th-place finish in Hart Trophy balloting.

Then, his summer started out by being named the youngest captain in Team Canada senior men's hockey history at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. He went on to lead Canada in scoring with 14 points in 10 games and earned honors as the tournament's Best Forward.

From there, it was on to the negotiating table, where he landed the top salary in NHL history, securing a five-year extension with an $18.8 million AAV. That kicks in for the 2027-28 season. 

Next up, according to all accounts, he will earn the honors of becoming one of the youngest captains in NHL history. 

Per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now:

'It’s too obvious,' a source told SJHN. 'It’s all but certain.' 

The 20-year-old was named alternate captain before last year, then put together a campaign for the ages. 

It seems like it’s just a matter of when the Sharks will make the announcement: Celebrini is set to become the 11th full-time captain in franchise history, and the first playing captain since Logan Couture in 2023-24.

Depending on when the announcement comes, he will become the 5th or 6th youngest ever to be named an NHL team captain. Only Connor McDavid, Gabriel Landeskog, Sidney Crosby, and Vincent Lecavalier have had the 'C' on their jerseys as a 19-year-old. Celebrini, at 20 years, 72 days (as of Monday, August 24th), could be next in line if he's named within the next week, as Jonathan Toews sits 5th at 20 yrs, 80 days. 

His next mission: Leading the Sharks to their first playoff berth in eight years. They fell just four points short last season, though their 86 was a massive 34-point improvement from the year before, thanks to Celebrini.