Macklin Celebrini is a Canadian centre for the San Jose Sharks, drafted first overall in 2024. In 2025-26 he scored 115 points, a Sharks single-season record, and on 29 July 2026 he signed a five-year, $94 million contract extension that begins in 2027-28.
| Fast facts: Macklin Celebrini | |
|---|---|
| Current team | San Jose Sharks |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| Born | 13 June 2006, North Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Height / weight | 6’0″ / 190 lbs, per the Sharks |
| Drafted | 2024, first round, 1st overall, San Jose Sharks |
| Contract status | Entry-level contract at a $975,000 cap hit through 2026-27, then a five-year extension at $18.8 million a season from 2027-28 through 2031-32 |
| Jersey | No. 71 |
What is Macklin Celebrini’s contract?
Macklin Celebrini plays 2026-27 on the final season of his entry-level contract, at a $975,000 cap hit. The Sharks announced his extension on 29 July 2026: five years and $94 million, an average of $18.8 million a season, running from 2027-28 through 2031-32. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent in 2032, according to PuckPedia’s contract data.
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It was the highest average annual value in NHL history at the time of signing, passing the $18 million Leo Carlsson had signed for in Anaheim earlier that month. A month later Cale Makar’s $20.4 million a season with Colorado moved past it. His cap hit will be 19.3 times higher when the extension begins. “I wanted to make sure that with where the cap was going, that the number made sense for the team first,” he told San Jose Hockey Now.
What are Macklin Celebrini’s career stats?
Macklin Celebrini went from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota to the USHL and one season of college hockey before turning professional in 2024.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Shattuck-St. Mary’s 18U | USHS-Prep | 52 | 50 | 67 | 117 |
| 2022-23 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 50 | 46 | 40 | 86 |
| 2023-24 | Boston University | NCAA | 38 | 32 | 32 | 64 |
| 2024-25 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 70 | 25 | 38 | 63 |
| 2025-26 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 45 | 70 | 115 |
His 86 points with the Chicago Steel set the USHL record for an under-17 player, and he was the first player named the league’s Player, Rookie and Forward of the Year in the same season. At Boston University he won the Hobey Baker Award in 2024 as the youngest winner in its history, at 17. He also took the Tim Taylor Award as the NCAA’s top rookie, and a year later Cole Hutson won it for the same school.
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How good is Macklin Celebrini?
Macklin Celebrini had one of the best teenage seasons in NHL history in 2025-26. He scored 45 goals and 70 assists in all 82 games, finished fourth in the NHL in points and broke Joe Thornton’s Sharks record of 114 points, set in 2006-07. The record came in the last game of the season, on 16 April 2026 at Winnipeg, where he had two assists and then a goal in a 6-1 win, a night that left head coach Ryan Warsofsky in tears.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area, he became the sixth teenager in NHL history with 100 points, and only Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby had scored more in a season at 19 or younger. He was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, which went to Connor McDavid. “Mack, you know how I feel about you and your game. Just love watching you. Congratulations,” Thornton said in a video to the Sharks.
Why didn’t Macklin Celebrini win the Calder Trophy?
Lane Hutson of Montreal won the 2025 Calder Trophy with 1,832 voting points, ahead of Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf with 1,169 and Celebrini with 1,104. Celebrini made his NHL debut on 10 October 2024 with a goal and an assist against St. Louis, and he finished his rookie season with 63 points in 70 games. That was third among rookies, the same total as Matvei Michkov and three points behind Hutson, and Celebrini led all rookies in points per game and shots. He made the NHL All-Rookie Team.
Is Macklin Celebrini the Sharks’ captain?
As of September 2026, no. Celebrini was an alternate captain in 2025-26, and San Jose had not had a full-time captain since Logan Couture stepped away from hockey in April 2025. ESPN and San Jose Hockey Now both reported that he was all but certain to be named before the 2026-27 season, which would make him the 11th full-time captain in Sharks history. Our list of NHL captains has every team’s situation.
“I think that’s a decision for Mike Grier,” Celebrini said in August 2026, referring to the Sharks’ general manager. The channels and streams for every Sharks game are in our guide to how to watch the San Jose Sharks.
What has Macklin Celebrini won with Canada?
Macklin Celebrini won Olympic silver with Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where Canada lost the final 2-1 in overtime to the United States. He led the tournament with five goals, had ten points and was named to the All-Star Team. “We had lots of chances, I had lots of chances, I missed,” he said after the final.
He captained Canada at the 2026 World Championship and had 14 points in ten games, and the IIHF named him the tournament’s best forward. Canada finished fourth after losing the bronze-medal game to Norway in overtime. In July 2026 the IIHF named him its Male Player of the Year for 2025-26.
Why does Macklin Celebrini wear 71?
Macklin Celebrini had always worn No. 17, after Ryan Kesler’s years with the Vancouver Canucks. When he arrived at Boston University, Quinn Hutson already had 17, so Celebrini flipped the digits and took 71, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reported. He kept the number in San Jose.
Who are Macklin Celebrini’s parents?
Macklin Celebrini’s father, Rick Celebrini, is vice president of player health and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, whom he joined in 2018. Rick is a former defender for the Vancouver 86ers soccer team and worked as a physiotherapist for the Vancouver Whitecaps. His mother, Robyn, played soccer at the University of British Columbia.
His older brother, Aiden, is a defenceman whom the Canucks drafted in the sixth round in 2023, and the two played together at Boston University in 2023-24. Macklin also has two younger siblings.
Where is Macklin Celebrini from, and how tall is he?
Macklin Celebrini was born on 13 June 2006 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and played his early minor hockey at the North Shore Winter Club. He played for the San Jose Jr. Sharks 14U team in 2019-20 before moving on to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. The Sharks list him at 6’0″ and 190 lbs.
He signed a five-year, $94 million extension with San Jose on July 29, 2026, carrying an $18.8 million cap hit — the highest in NHL history. It begins in 2027-28. He plays 2026-27 on the final year of his entry-level contract at $975,000.
He wore an “A” as alternate captain through 2025-26. As of August 2026 he has not been named captain, though it has been widely reported as expected before opening night. San Jose has had no captain since Logan Couture retired in April 2025.
Yes, in 2024 at Boston University, as the youngest winner in the award’s history at 17.
Rick Celebrini, director of sports medicine and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, a former professional soccer player and previously a physiotherapist with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Aiden Celebrini, a defenseman born in 2004, drafted 171st overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2023. The brothers played together at Boston University. A younger brother, RJ, also plays.
He was born in Vancouver and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
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