Macklin Celebrini Is Letting His Game Do the Talking - And the League Is Listening
FORT LAUDERDALE - Macklin Celebrini would rather talk about anything but Macklin Celebrini. That’s just who he is.
Humble, grounded, and laser-focused on the team. But when your name is suddenly appearing just below Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid on the NHL scoring leaderboard, well, the spotlight tends to find you - whether you’re looking for it or not.
Standing outside the San Jose Sharks dressing room, back against the wall, Celebrini barely blinks when asked what it’s like to see his name among hockey’s elite.
“Obviously we’ve had a really good year as a group,” he said, deflecting the attention as smoothly as he dangles around defenders. “We’re playing some really good hockey.
We have tied for most wins in the Pacific Division, which is awesome. I think we’re just having a really good year and it’s much more fun than last year.”
That’s classic Celebrini. In a season where he’s racked up 73 points in 48 games - 39 more than the next closest Shark - he still talks in “we,” not “me.”
It’s always about the team. But from the outside looking in, it’s impossible to ignore what the 19-year-old is doing.
This isn’t just a strong sophomore season. This is something special.
A Teenager Among Titans
Celebrini’s performance so far isn’t just rare - it’s historic. He’s on pace to finish with 123 points, a number that would be jaw-dropping for a seasoned vet, let alone a teenager.
For context: Leon Draisaitl didn’t hit the 100-point plateau until his fifth season. Nikita Kucherov?
Also year five. Jari Kurri, even while playing alongside Wayne Gretzky, needed three full seasons.
Steve Yzerman took five. Nathan MacKinnon?
A full decade.
So what Celebrini is doing right now isn’t just impressive - it’s borderline unprecedented.
And yet, he wears it all with a quiet confidence. There’s no bravado, no chest-pounding.
Just a calm, composed presence that’s rare for someone his age. It’s not unlike the way Gretzky carried himself early on - cool under pressure, emotionally even-keeled, and always focused on the bigger picture.
He’s got the nonstop motor of a young Sidney Crosby, the playmaking vision of a seasoned center, and a competitive fire that never seems to flicker. And when he speaks, there’s a steadiness - not the nerves or media shyness you sometimes see in young stars.
He’s not trying to be the next anyone. He’s just trying to be the best version of himself.
“This is what I do,” Celebrini said, matter-of-factly.
The Reluctant Star
Ask anyone around the Sharks locker room, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Celebrini doesn’t like talking about himself. That’s where veteran forward Tyler Toffoli comes in. Now on his seventh NHL team and serving as both friend and mentor to Celebrini, Toffoli has had a front-row seat to the young star’s rise - and his low-key personality.
“He hates to talk about himself,” Toffoli said with a smile.
Toffoli spent time with the Celebrini family over the offseason - skating with Macklin and his younger brother Aiden, joining them for workouts, even tagging along on family mountain climbs. It gave him a deeper appreciation for the work ethic and tight-knit support system behind the Sharks’ breakout star.
“They kind of killed me,” Toffoli joked about the intense family workouts. “It was almost torture. It was definitely an experience… but it was a great time.”
More Than Just Points
While the numbers jump off the page, what really stands out is the way Celebrini carries the expectations. The pressure is real - the comparisons, the buzz, the weight of being a franchise cornerstone at 19 - but he’s not letting it crush him.
“You try and hold on to the weight of it all,” he said. “Obviously there’s a lot of expectations and pressures and it’s different.
I mean, you want to do well. You want your team to win games.”
That’s the mindset that separates the good from the great. Celebrini isn’t chasing individual accolades.
He’s chasing wins. And in the process, he’s redefining what’s possible for a teenager in today’s NHL.
He may not want to talk about himself - but the rest of the league sure is. And at this rate, they’ll be talking about Macklin Celebrini for a long, long time.