Macklin Celebrini’s summer keeps getting bigger. The 20-year-old center has been named captain of the San Jose Sharks, taking over a club that has not had a full-time captain since Logan Couture retired on April 15, 2025.
Key takeaways
- Celebrini is the youngest captain in Sharks history after serving as an alternate captain last season.
- He agreed to a five-year, $94 million contract earlier this offseason, carrying an $18.8 million annual cap hit.
- The Sharks open the regular season at home against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 1.
- Celebrini posted 115 points in 82 NHL games last season, fourth in League scoring.
- San Jose is chasing its first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2018-19.
A captain built through a busy year
The captaincy caps an extraordinary stretch for Celebrini, whose second NHL season produced 45 goals and 70 assists. His 115-point finish pushed his career totals to 70 goals, 108 assists and 178 points through 152 regular-season games.
His calendar did not slow down once the NHL season ended. Celebrini represented Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics and recorded five goals and five assists in six games. He later wore the captain’s C for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, collecting six goals and eight assists in 10 outings.
Canada finished fourth at the worlds after Norway won the bronze-medal game 3-2 in overtime. Celebrini’s international year also included recognition as the IIHF Male Player of the Year, while EA Sports selected him as the cover athlete for NHL 27.
Before his captaincy was announced, Celebrini said he still saw room to develop both as a player and away from the ice. He pointed to San Jose’s veterans as important examples for the club’s younger players, saying they had helped provide guidance and strong models for the group.
Contract, expectations and the Sharks’ next step
Celebrini’s five-year extension briefly set the NHL standard for average annual value at $18.8 million. That mark was surpassed on Aug. 28, when Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million agreement worth $20.4 million per season.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier said the organization wanted its young star to feel properly valued and believed the contract reflected Celebrini’s standing among the League’s emerging players. Grier also said Celebrini accepted a slightly lower figure than he could have sought, allowing San Jose greater room to continue adding to its roster.
Grier does not expect the new money or the captaincy to change Celebrini’s approach. He described the forward as driven by a constant push to improve and said that hunger to become the best version of himself should remain intact.
The captaincy gives the Sharks a clear face for the next stage of their rebuild as they try to return to postseason hockey. Around the League, the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks also enter the season without named captains.
