- Peter DeBoer says nobody has hit a franchise this hard this young since Sidney Crosby
- Evgeni Nabokov credits the “mighty engine” that keeps Macklin Celebrini from ever looking tired
- Read below for the full quotes, the 115-point season and where Celebrini landed in NHL Network’s center rankings
Peter DeBoer has been around the NHL long enough to be careful with comparisons. He went straight to Sidney Crosby anyway.
The New York Islanders coach was asked to size up Macklin Celebrini alongside his own Calder Trophy winner, defenseman Matthew Schaefer, in Stan Fischler’s weekly column for NHL.com.
“Both Celebrini and Schaefer are generational players, not just in their talent but in their commitment and maturity at such a young age. I haven’t seen players that young have such an impact on their respective franchises — both on and off the ice — since Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.”
The production says the same thing. Celebrini finished last season with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists), fourth in the league and a San Jose single-season record.
San Jose went 39-35-8 for 86 points, a 34-point jump in the standings. The Sharks wound up four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card in the West, their closest brush with the playoffs since 2018-19.
Take a look at the 20-year-old’s season in full:
NHL Network dropped its top 20 centers poll on Aug. 23 and slotted Celebrini third, behind only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
Sharks play-by-play voice Dan Rusanowsky was asked what makes Celebrini different, and his answer had nothing to do with the goal totals.
“He’s a complete three-zone player. And while he dazzles everyone with his skill, speed and hockey sense, what’s most amazing is how great he is when he DOESN’T have the puck. He drags his team into the fight every night.”
Evgeni Nabokov sees him every day as San Jose’s director of goaltending, and he talked about how Celebrini never seems to run out of gas.
“‘Mack’ is very elusive and never gets tired because he’s got a mighty engine. I love watching him in practice. He tries something different all the time.”
Portland Winterhawks general manager Mike Johnston first saw him at 14 years old at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota. Johnston called him the best young player he has seen in 15 years of junior hockey.
Celebrini led the 2026 Winter Olympics with five goals and put up 10 points as Canada took silver, matching Jarome Iginla’s 2010 total for the most goals by a Canadian at a single Games with NHL players involved. The IIHF named him its Male Player of the Year.
He signed a five-year, $94 million extension on July 29 at an $18.8 million cap hit, which made him the highest-paid player in hockey for exactly one month. Then Cale Makar signed for $20.4 million a season on Aug. 28.
Celebrini already wears an A in San Jose and has said a captaincy wouldn’t change a thing about how he plays. The only box left is a playoff berth, and Nabokov has no doubt about who gets the Sharks there.
“If anyone can do it,” Nabokov said, “Macklin is the man.”
