SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks’ training camp was only a couple of days old and already an abundance of superlatives had been used to describe Macklin Celebrini and what he might do in year two of his promising NHL career.
“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen,” center Alexander Wennberg said.
“He looks good as usual,” forward Will Smith said. “I think this is going to be a big year for him, and I’m sure he’s going to take a massive step.”
Celebrini became the Sharks’ leading scorer — and their best player — last season as he established himself as the team’s No. 1 centerman and set a new franchise record for rookie scoring with 63 points in 70 games.
Even with the Sharks finishing with the NHL’s worst record at 20-50-12, Celebrini, with his relentless motor, two-way game, ability to win puck battles and create offense, was voted a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year as he became the face of the Sharks organization.
That’s all great. But as his sophomore season begins, Celebrini hopes he never has to experience that much losing again.
“I think it’s pretty clear,” Celebrini said Tuesday when asked about his expectations for himself and the Sharks this season. “When you’re losing, no one’s having fun. As much as you try to look at the positives and learn from it and all that cliche stuff, it’s not fun. It’s not enjoyable when you lose.”
Celebrini returned to practice Tuesday after he missed time during training camp last week with an illness. Celebrini stayed out of contact drills but took part in power play exercises, forming a unit with Smith, Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund and defenseman Sam Dickinson.
“The one thing that really stands out to me — you guys don’t get to see it — he hates to lose, more than anybody,” said Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli, who spent the majority of last season on Celebrini’s line.
“I think he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to turn things around here, and his work ethic, just in practice, should help that.”
What should also help Celebrini is what appears to be a stronger supporting cast.
The Sharks signed veteran forward Jeff Skinner and defensemen Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg to aid the team’s meager scoring punch and added other experienced players such as forwards Philipp Kurashev, Adam Gaudette and Ryan Reaves, and defenseman Nick Leddy.
It’s hoped that the additions can help the Sharks close out more games, as they held a dismal 18-16-6 record last season when leading or trailing after two periods. By comparison, the two-time Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers were 42-8-5 in those situations.
“We have some guys in here that can help our group and help contribute to the goals we want and win some more games this year,” Celebrini said. “We need to kind of take that next step.”
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini (71) takes part in a practice session on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Still, much of the responsibility for helping the Sharks finish higher in the standings – as is the team’s stated goal — will fall on Celebrini’s shoulders.
“He’s going to play a lot of minutes,” Sharks coach Warsofsky said, “he’s going to have a target on his back when we play other teams.”
Celebrini’s all-around ability has drawn comparisons to Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. The two played for Canada at the IIHF World Championship in Europe in May, spent time together in Crosby’s hometown of Halifax and were at Hockey Canada’s Olympic Orientation Camp in Calgary late last month.
“With Worlds, it was great just to talk to him, learn from him, just different experiences he’s had,” Celebrini said of Crosby. “Even just to watch him, see how he approaches every day, some of the things he does, some of his habits, I think you don’t really need to talk to someone like that to learn from him.”
While Crosby has already been named to Canada’s Olympic roster, Celebrini is in the mix for one of the nine remaining forward spots.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed about as a kid, but I can’t really control,” Celebrini said of being in the Olympics. “All I can control is how I play and see if we can win some games at the start of the year here. If we’re playing well as a team, I think it’ll help that case.”
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Areas of growth are needed. Celebrini wants to improve his 48.2 faceoff percentage from season and his unsightly -31 plus/minus rating. The Sharks also want to see Celebrini make sound decisions with the puck and not force plays.
“It’s like everyone. You just want to see some growth and some strides in their game in the areas that you know he needs to improve on, and the coaches have asked him to improve on,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said.
If the first year of Celebrini’s NHL career was fun to watch, what’s in store for year two?
“He’s a hell of a player,” Wennberg said. “Coming back here and you see him, he’s improving. He’s faster, the way he’s handling himself and the speed. … I’m excited to see it.”
