Macklin Celebrini has already pushed himself into territory most players never sniff. After just two NHL seasons, he’s sitting on 178 points through 152 games, and his latest jump has him in the Art Ross conversation heading into Year 3.
Celebrini’s second season was the kind that turns heads fast: 45 goals, 70 assists and 115 points in 82 games. That made him the sixth teenager in NHL history to reach 100 points in a season, and it also showed why San Jose is already running its offence through him.
He’s on the top line, he’s on the first power-play unit, and he’s already the Sharks’ clear best player. The 45 goals only added to the case that he’s not just piling up points, but doing it as one of the league’s top scorers.
The expectation now is another 100-point year. But if Celebrini is going to actually win the Art Ross Trophy, the bar likely moves much higher - probably into the 125-to-140 range.
That’s where Connor McDavid comes in. The Oilers star remains the standard for this race, and history says a healthy McDavid season usually means the scoring title lands in serious triple digits.
He put up 138 points last season, including 90 assists, and he already owns six Art Ross trophies. McDavid has reached 120 points five times, and his career high is 153, so any challenger has to bring something special.
Celebrini’s rise has been quick even by elite standards. As a rookie, he posted 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games.
In his second year, the numbers exploded to 45 goals and 115 points. More shots, stronger playmaking, growing comfort with the grind of an 82-game season, and the natural step forward that comes with another year in the league all helped fuel the leap.
If he adds just 10 more points, he’s at 125. Add 15, and he’s at 130. Either total would put real pressure on McDavid and anyone else trying to chase the scoring crown, including Nathan MacKinnon, who would need one of his best seasons to keep pace.
And it won’t be a two-man race. Nikita Kucherov, MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl all belong in the conversation, too. All three have gone well past 110 points before, and Kucherov and MacKinnon have already won scoring titles.
What makes Celebrini’s case so striking is the age factor. The league has not seen many players produce at this level before their 20th birthday, and it’s even rarer for a 19-year-old to post a 45-goal, 115-point season this early in his career.
McDavid’s own path is a reminder of just how high the ceiling can be. In his second season, he finished with 30 goals, 70 assists and 100 points in 82 games, then won his first Art Ross, Ted Lindsey and Hart Trophy. The next year, he climbed to 108 points and added another Art Ross and Ted Lindsay Award.
So when next season’s race gets rolling, the number to watch may be north of 130, maybe even 140. It could be McDavid again.
It could be Celebrini making another leap. It could be MacKinnon, Kucherov, Draisaitl, or somebody else entirely.
But if the recent scoring pace holds, the Art Ross winner is going to have to earn it.
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