Macklin Celebrini Leads Early Hart Trophy Race for Sharks

Macklin Celebrini has barely had time to settle into the 2026-27 schedule, yet the San Jose Sharks captain is already setting the pace in the first Hart Trophy watch. The 20-year-old center received eight of 16 first-place votes in an early panel, finishing with 67 points to lead Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid by eight.

Celebrini produced 115 points last season, fourth-most in the NHL, on 45 goals and 70 assists. Now the No. 1 pick from the 2024 NHL Draft is carrying the expectations that come with being both San Jose’s franchise player and the engine behind a club climbing out of its rebuild.

McDavid finished second in the voting with 59 points and four first-place selections. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon also earned four first-place votes and placed third with 54 points. Reigning Hart winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning was fourth with 28.

The age element makes Celebrini’s pursuit especially notable. He will be 20 years, 301 days old when the regular season ends on April 10. A Hart win would put him behind only Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and McDavid among the youngest winners of the award. Gretzky won in 1979-80 at 19 years, 71 days old, Crosby captured the 2006-07 Hart at 19 years, 244 days, and McDavid took it in 2016-17 at 20 years, 86 days. Gretzky also won again in 1980-81 at 20 years, 69 days.

Celebrini’s importance was underlined immediately this week. He opened the season with five assists across San Jose’s overtime victories against the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings, but a lower-body injury kept him out against the Dallas Stars on Monday. Without him, the Sharks managed only 13 shots in a 5-0 defeat. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said his club failed to establish any momentum in Dallas.

San Jose entered Thursday’s road game against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center with a 2-1-0 record. How long Celebrini is sidelined could matter greatly for a team expected to make a serious push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Sharks finished last season with 86 points, a 34-point jump from Celebrini’s rookie campaign. He posted 63 points, including 25 goals and 38 assists, in 73 games during 2024-25, and San Jose fell four points shy of a playoff berth last spring.

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield said playing against Celebrini is a difficult assignment because the young center combines elite skill with relentless work rate. Caufield pointed to Celebrini’s ability to keep pursuing plays shift after shift, calling that energy something that can spread through an entire roster and help transform a team.

The comparison around the rink is naturally Crosby, though it comes with a reminder of the scale involved. Pittsburgh finished second from the bottom with 58 points during Crosby’s 2005-06 rookie season, even as he recorded 102 points in 81 games. The Penguins reached the playoffs in his second year, when Crosby won both the Hart and Art Ross trophies with 120 points. They made the Stanley Cup Final in year three and lifted the Cup in year four.

San Jose is not quite on that timetable after missing the postseason in Celebrini’s second NHL season, but its 34-point improvement has changed the outlook. Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers said Celebrini’s role in reversing the fortunes of a struggling club brought Crosby to mind, while acknowledging the rarity of comparing anyone directly to the Penguins legend.

Early Hart Trophy voting

The voting used a 5-4-3-2-1 point system. For now, Celebrini owns the early edge, and the Sharks’ ability to keep moving forward may decide whether that lead becomes a genuine Hart run by April.