Burning Questions For the 2025-26 Season: Macklin Celebrini

With the 2025-26 season now in sight, the plan is to address the burning questions surrounding every player on the roster (or competing for a roster spot). These questions are focused on how the player is expected to contribute to the Sharks this season and what their role will be.

Macklin Celebrini
6'0" 190lbs
19 years old
2024 1st round pick

Last Season

70 games, 25 goals, 38 assists, 19:47 TOI

Macklin Celebrini was one of the best rookies in the NHL last season, finishing 3rd in the Calder vote behind Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf. To make his season even more impressive, he was the youngest player in the NHL and missed 12 of the first 13 games with an injury. On a nightly basis, Celebrini showed why he is on his way to being one of the best players in the league.

Celebrini established himself as the Sharks' 1C of the present and future with his play and has already been named the 19th-best center in the NHL, at the age of 19. The sky is literally the limit for Celebrini as he enters his 2nd season.

Burning Question

What's in store for season 2?

Expectations are sky high for Celebrini as he enters his second season. It's not hard to imagine Celebrini as a point-per-game player in his second full season, and if he doesn't hit that, it's going to feel like a letdown. The amount of expectations now placed on Celebrini is astronomical, even as a first overall pick who played as well as he did as a rookie. It feels like with Celebrini, you could talk yourself into any outlandish season (in terms of production) and envision a pathway to it. 40 goals? Yeah, if the Sharks' power play takes a big step. 100 points? Sure, especially if Smith continues his growth and the two are paired together from day one. Norris Trophy winner? Give Celebrini a few weeks to get the finer points of playing defense in the NHL, and he could contend.

But be wary of the sophomore slump discussion this season. While Celebrini took on a lot of responsibilities last season, especially after Mikael Granlund's trade, he is going to be the guy for San Jose from day one now. Not that people weren’t already preparing to try and shut down Celebrini last season, but now that it's Celebrini's team, he will have to carry an even larger load than he did last year. So, if Celebrini only reaches 70 points this season, but he is the one driving play, dragging this team out of the basement, and showing why he will be the next (long-term) Captain. It will be a successful season.

Expectations

Macklin Celebrini cements himself as a top 10 center in the NHL and is around a point-per-game player. The lead-up to the season should be much smoother with Celebrini (knocks on all the wood) not dealing with an injury in the preseason, plus all the extra games from the Rookie Showcase and dealing with the draft and combine. Celebrini has taken his offseason training extremely seriously and looks ready to enter his second season as an absolute menace to the rest of the league.

We, as Sharks fans, have something very special with Macklin Celebrini, a superstar with an insane work ethic to achieve those goals. While people are dreaming of Gavin McKenna in teal next season, Celebrini is going to do everything in his power to crush those dreams. And I think he's going to be successful at it.