Macklin Celebrini is already collecting headlines, and now he’s got a record to go with them.
A one-of-one Celebrini rookie card - a 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns Outburst Gold card - sold at Goldin Auctions for $1.28 million. That makes it the most expensive non-Wayne Gretzky card ever sold at auction. The Gretzky standard still stands at the top overall: a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee rookie card graded 10 by PSA that fetched $3.75 million in 2021.
The card was pulled by James, who is from Illinois. He said he was chasing a Celebrini card after watching the youngster dominate at the Olympics and said he “ended up getting the grail”.
“Definitely a trip to Disney is in line with the family,” James shared.
Elsewhere around Sharks country, the team has adjusted the start times for three regular-season games. The Dec. 29 game at Calgary will now begin at 5 p.m.
PT instead of 7 p.m. PT, the Jan. 13 game at Edmonton will start at 6 p.m.
PT instead of 8 p.m. PT, and the Jan. 14 game at Calgary will begin at 5 p.m. rather than 7 p.m.
The Sharks also have more audio and podcast content rolling out, including Collin Graf’s appearance on the latest San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, where he talked about his new contract, the upcoming season, and his dream penalty kill linemates. Sheng, Zubair, and Dan also discussed their ideal power play units. Dmitry Orlov also weighs in on the Shakir Mukhamadullin trade, while there’s a look at what San Jose should expect from Ivar Stenberg in his rookie year.
Filip Bystedt and Quentin Musty also joined Dan Rusanowsky on the Sharks Audio Network, and the Sharks were listed at the top of Corey Pronman’s ranking of NHL under-23 cores.
One more notable Sharks-related move: David Warsofsky, the brother of Ryan, is joining the Buffalo Sabres as Defense Development Coach.
Around the league, Ottawa Senators and Drake Batherson remain far apart in contract talks, Dylan Larkin is expected at Detroit Red Wings training camp barring a trade, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg are headlining Colorado Avalanche’s upcoming alumni team, and the New York Islanders are asking fans to vote on their third jersey for next season.
On the women’s hockey side, members of a women’s team spoke out after players on a boys’ team repeatedly entered their dressing room. And in other news, Florida Panthers and Matthew Tkachuk are hosting a youth hockey weekend, while there’s also a look at what to expect from Dougie Hamilton next season.
There’s also movement off the ice in the PWHL world, with Anne Cherkowski speaking in the latest Teal Talk, and questions swirling after PWHL owner Mark Walter sold his share of the Los Angeles Lakers and is looking to sell his stake in Chelsea FC.
In Other News...
Sharks Trade Return Says Plenty About Where This Rebuild Stands
Two years after sending Ty Emberson to Edmonton, the Sharks have a clearer picture of what they got back than they did at the time. Emberson has settled in as a steady defensive piece for the Oilers, while Cody Ceci logged 54 games in San Jose before moving on again, leaving the trade as one of those early rebuild reminders that every asset matters, even when the return does not look flashy right away.
The more intriguing part for San Jose is the extra third-round pick that came in the deal. The Sharks used it on Teddy Mutryn, who is now playing college hockey, and that is the sort of return that says as much about the state of a rebuild as any immediate roster swap. It is less about winning the trade in the moment and more about stockpiling chances, then waiting to see which ones actually grow into something useful. [Read more 🡒]