Reality can be beaten with enough imagination

“In just two seasons as a teenager in the National Hockey League and on the International stage, Macklin has established himself as one of the premier players in the world,” said Grier. “We are extremely excited to have him secured and committed as the centerpiece of a core of talented players in San Jose.  

“As we continue our goal of building a team capable of annually competing for the Stanley Cup, we want to thank Macklin and his representatives for a respectful negotiation process, and acknowledge the flexibility they have provided to the team in how we allocate future dollars towards the team being constructed around Macklin.  

“I also want to thank Hasso Plattner for his continued commitment and steadfast dedication to providing the financial resources to put the best team possible on the ice for our passionate fans, who deserve a winner in San Jose.” 

“I couldn’t be happier to sign an extension today,” Celebrini said. “The faith and support that Mr. Plattner, Mike Grier and the entire staff have shown me throughout the past two seasons is proof that we are building something special here. My teammates and I are ready to take another step toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to this city and its incredible fans. I can’t wait to get going.”  

   “From our very first conversation, it was clear that Mike and Mr. Plattner were fully committed to Macklin’s future in San Jose,” said Pat Brisson, Co-Head of Hockey at CAA Sports, Celebrini’s agency. “Macklin is not only an exceptional player, but also an outstanding person, and we’re proud to support him as he continues his journey with the Sharks.”  

Celebrini, 20, finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points, tied for fourth with 45 goals and was seventh with 70 assists in the regular season, helping San Jose claim the second-biggest season-over-season improvement in both wins (+19) and standings points (+34) in team history, the league’s 10th-biggest year-over-year improvement in points and tied for eighth-biggest leap in year-over-year wins in the past 30 years (not counting the shortened 2012-13 to full 2013-14 seasons). 

The second-year centerman, who ranked third in the NHL in even-strength goals (37) and tied for third in even-strength points (82), set the Sharks franchise scoring record with his final point of the campaign, a goal that capped a three-point effort in the final game of the regular season. He completed the campaign factoring into 46.2-percent of all Sharks goals, the second-best such mark in the league this season and best ever by an NHL teenager or any San Jose skater.  

The Sharks went 26-6-2 on the season when Celebrini scored a goal, were 37-18-5 when he registered at least one point and boasted a record of 26-3-2 in his multi-point efforts. His 82 even-strength points and 37 even-strength goals were the most ever in a single campaign by a Shark, his 18 three-point efforts tied Thornton for most by a skater in any of the team’s 35 seasons and his 31 multi-point contests tied for the second-most games with two or more points in a season in Sharks history. Celebrini finished 56 points ahead of the team’s next-closest scorer, the widest gap for any NHL team’s top scorer to its second-ranked since 1990-91. 

Of the team’s 37 wins in regulation or overtime (excluding shootouts), Macklin was credited with the game-winning goal or assisted on the winning goal 19 times (51.4%), and in the team’s 12 wins that went into extra time (OT or shootout), he was a factor in eight of those wins. 

By the end of the season, he led the Sharks in nearly every offensive statistical category: goals, assists, points, plus/minus (plus-8), points-per-game (1.40), even-strength goals and points, power-play goals (eight), power-play points (33), overtime goals (2), game-winning goals, and shots (287).  

His accomplishments during the 2025-26 campaign were historic among NHL teens, with Celebrini joining Gretzky (1979-80) as the only players under 20 years old to claim a 40-plus goal, 70-plus assist season. His point total was the third-best among teens in a single season in league history, trailing only Crosby (120 in 2005-06) and Gretzky (137 in 1979-80), and he joined the duo as the only three teens in league history to finish in the top five of a season’s scoring rankings. He now ranks fourth in career assists (108) ever by an NHL skater before turning 20, fifth in scoring (178 points) and seventh in career goals (70) in the age group. His 13-game point streak from December 11 through January 10 (nine goals, 18 assists) was the second-longest in Sharks history and the second-longest ever by a teenager in the NHL. 

The centerman was named NHL Third Star of December after finishing fourth in the league with 25 points, third at 1.79 points-per-game played. He was the league’s First Star of the Week on Oct. 27 after posting 10 points (five goals, five assists) over four games in the preceding week, highlighted by a hat trick in a five-point effort at the New York Rangers on Oct. 23, the team’s first win of the season, and was selected as the league’s Third Star on Nov. 23 after tallying seven points (four goals, three assists) over four games, including two game-winning goals. 

This past year, Celebrini also represented his nation at the highest levels of international play, appearing for Team Canada at both the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and the World Championship.  

At the Olympics, he became the youngest NHL player to be named to Team Canada’s roster, and led the tournament in goals, and finished second behind Connor McDavid. Celebrini’s performance at the tournament was the best showing by a teenager, en-route to a Silver Medal finish. 

At the World Championship, Celebrini was named as the Captain for Canada and became the second youngest captain for the Senior Men’s team at major an international tournament. He posted 14 points across 10 games and by the end of the tournament was named the Best Forward and the tournament All-Star Team.  

Celebrini was named the IIHF Male Player of the Year for 2025-26, was a Ted Lindsay Memorial Trophy Finalist, and was voted Sharks Player of the Year by Bay Area media for the second consecutive season after earning the same award as well as Sharks Rookie of the Year in 2024-25. 

Over the course of his career, Celebrini has registered 178 points (70 goals, 108 assists) in 152 career games with San Jose. He was the first teenager in franchise history to score 30 goals in a season, and was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2024-25, owning the franchise record for most assists and points by a rookie.  

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