Without the RPF Goggles: Is Will and Mack’s On-Ice Chemistry Actually Exceptional, or Just Standard Linemate Chemistry?
I received this as an anonymous ask, and I’m taking it as the perfect excuse to put together a primer on Willmack’s chemistry: how it shows up on the ice, how Will and Mack describe it themselves, and how it has been noticed by the wider hockey world.
I’ve cited everything as accurately as possible. If anything is misquoted, mislinked, missing context, or incorrect, please let me know.
So, are Will and Mack really all that as a duo? Honestly, yes. Their chemistry keeps showing up in ways that are hard to dismiss: in the stats, the milestones, the way they read each other on the ice, the way people talk about them, and the way the Sharks already seem to be building a new era around what they are together.
The Numbers Are Not Exactly Subtle
Since making their NHL debuts, Will and Mack have already put themselves in rare company. The Sharks are 31-19-4 when both appear on the scoresheet, 9-2-1 when both score, and 13-2-2 when both record multi-point games. They have factored on the same goal 64 times, surpassing Gretzky and Coffey for second-most all-time among under-21 pairs and trailing only Kane and Toews. Their 47 shared goals this season also tied for third-most by a Sharks pair all time, the most since Jumbo and Heatley in 2009-10, and they factored into seven game-winners, including the Sharks’ first and last wins of the season. The Kane/Toews comparison becomes even more striking when you add the context: Kane and Toews reached their mark across 144 games together, while Will and Mack had played only 117 together at that point. Why, you ask? On December 13, 2025, Will sustained a shoulder injury from a clean hit by Parker Wotherspoon of the Pittsburgh Penguins (which sent Mack into a rage, followed by a generational lock-in that won them the game 6-5 in OT). Will was on IR for an entire month and missed 13 games before returning on January 16th. Needless to say, had he not been injured, they would have surpassed this and broken the U21 record.
They Keep Showing Up in Each Other’s Big Moments
They also keep appearing in each other’s biggest individual moments. Will assisted on all three goals of Mack’s first NHL hat trick, Mack assisted Will in reaching his 100th career point, and Will assisted Mack in breaking Joe Thornton’s franchise record for most points in a single season by a Shark. Those are individual accomplishments, of course, but it is notable how often one of them seems to be right there when the other hits a major marker. They are already becoming part of each other’s NHL stories.
Trust, Timing, and “Soulmate Ping-Pong”
Their best plays together have a distinct rhythm: wide passes, no-look feeds, quick exchanges, and a habit of finding each other through traffic even when the safer option is available. Some fans call it “soulmate ping-pong,” and even their own goalie, Alex Nedeljkovic, has teased them about the way you never quite know whether they are going to pass to each other indefinitely or finally bury it. What is quite interesting is that Mack has tried similar quick-passing sequences with Sidney Crosby during the IIHF Worlds, with mixed results, further highlighting Willmack’s connection on the ice. You hear a mutual trust echoed between them in the way Will says he does not need to call for the puck because Mack sees him, and in the way Mack says Will does not even look at him, but still finds him. Those comments all point to the same thing: their best hockey is not just built on skill, but on timing, anticipation, and a shared sense of where the play is going. Even when asked about their first year of building chemistry, both spoke of it as something they were continuing to develop, which makes the whole thing feel less accidental and more like an intentional, ongoing project.
“Two Peas in a Pod” Was Not Just a Throwaway Line
That is why the “two peas in a pod” label stuck so easily. The NHL used that phrase in a piece about how their connection “blended right away,” how they eat together on the road, hang out together at home, and are “always together off the ice,” according to Will himself. The Sharks’ own feature called them “linemate, teammate and bestie”, noting that they clicked off the ice as quickly as they did on it, and pointing out that the “WillMack” moniker had already become part of the public story around them. And the thing is, people outside the fandom notice it too.
The Wider Hockey World Keeps Noticing
Their chemistry has been commented on by local broadcasters, national coverage, opposing broadcasts, teammates, coaches, and family members. The Penguins broadcast noticed the connection during that infamous matchup, and the Toronto broadcast had its own very memorable reaction to their dynamic. Drew and Randy are frequently gushing over Will and Mack’s bench interactions, even going as far as calling Mack Will’s partner during intermission, while Brodie laments on their importance to each other “as colleagues, as friends, as whatever you consider yourselves to be for each other.” These comments really highlight how often people reach for relationship language because their hockey connection is so visible. Drew calling them “those two cutie pies” is obviously lighthearted, but it also captures how much their partnership has become part of the Sharks’ watchability. Sheng Peng has pointed out that Will moving from center (a position he had successfully played his entire life) to Mack’s wing does not read like much of a sacrifice when you understand that those two love each other, and the clearest path for Will to share the ice with Mack is by embracing the wing. Which he now seems to announce with pride.
Teammates and Family See the Same Thing
The teammate and family commentary make the dynamic feel even more of a standout. Colleen Smith has spoken at length about how inseparable they are both on and off the ice, while Rick Celebrini has described Will as Mack's "balance, joy, and release." Their veteran teammate and close friend, Tyler Toffoli, straightforwardly said they need each other.
Why the Line Blender Makes Their Separation So Noticeable
That is also why their separation is always noticeable. When Ryan Warsofsky starts blending lines, it is not that either player suddenly forgets how to play hockey; Mack is still Mack, and Will is still highly skilled in his own right. But their partnership seems to unlock a more connected version of offence that is quicker, more creative, and more instinctive. During Will’s scoring dry spell, Warsofsky tried to solve the issue by shortening Will’s TOI and cycling different players onto Mack’s line in search of “someone to play with Mack.” What followed was the infamous chaos of a Warso line-blender game, which led to fewer wins, a deeply frustrated audience, and a visibly exhausted duo that was not allowed to settle into each other. The irony, of course, is that even Warsofsky himself has admitted that their relationship is “great” and “special,” which is about as direct as coaches usually get when acknowledging teammate chemistry. It is also worth mentioning that Will and Mack insist on their visionary playmaking, even in the face of obvious turnovers and overextended passing in favour of shooting the puck. Warsofsky admitted, “You could go through Mack and Will’s shifts and show them the video. And even if it’s a mistake in my eyes, they can tell you what they were thinking and maybe what play they wanted to make, and then you can see it.” That quote is important because it captures why their chemistry can look both magical and occasionally maddening. They often see a play that might be one step too ambitious in the moment, but the idea behind it is there. That is part of what makes watching them together so compelling.
The Rituals Are Part of the Pattern, and They Are Still Building It
Will and Mack’s rituals are another distinguishing factor. Their warm-up routines, frequent on-ice conferencing, national anthem shenanigans, and rather dramatic and unnecessary smelling-salts sharing do not prove anything major on their own, because hockey players are ritualistic and strange by nature. But together, they create a very recognizable pattern. There is a specific Will-and-Mack-ness to the way they move around each other, check in with each other, and seem to reset through each other during games. In the offseason, they plan to train together to keep developing that chemistry and get playoff-ready, with Boston, Vancouver, and potentially Halifax all in the picture. There is also speculation that they might be moving in together, which honestly tracks given how they are. Will helps loosen Mack. Mack sharpens Will. Together, the hockey looks more alive.
So, Is It Actually Exceptional?
So yes, Willmack’s chemistry is genuinely rare. Not because no other NHL duo has ever been close, productive, or fun to watch, but because theirs is unusually complete for such a young pair, to the point that they are already being compared to legendary NHL duos like SidGeno and McDrai. The fandom can have fun with the dramatics, but the core observation still holds: Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini are not just two talented young players standing next to each other in a rebuild. They look like two players actively building something together.
As Will himself said, just a few months into their rookie season, "it would be cool if he and Mack got to stick around in San Jose long enough to pass down the mantle," much like their predecessors, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. It is the kind of comment that makes it sound as though they were already imagining their jerseys hung together in the rafters from day one.
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