09/25/26 01:15:00
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09/25 13:11 CDT The Sharks make 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini the youngest
captain in team history
The Sharks make 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini the youngest captain in team
history
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) --- Macklin Celebrini was picked as captain of the San
Jose Sharks on Friday, becoming the youngest player ever to fill that role for
the team at the age of 20.
Celebrini takes over the spot that had been vacant since Logan Couture went
down with a career-ending injury, becoming the 11th full-time captain in Sharks
history.
Couture was given that role for the 2019-20 season and held it through the
2024-25 season even though he didn't play a single game that year because of a
chronic injury to his groin and pelvic area that ended his career.
Celebrini was one of five players who rotated as alternate captains last season
but now has the role for the foreseeable future. He is the youngest player to
fill the leadership role, with Patrick Marleau previously holding that mark
when he was named captain at age 24 in 2004. He is also the youngest current
captain in the NHL, edging out 21-year-old Connor Bedard, who was named captain
in Chicago earlier this month.
Celebrini has become the face of the franchise since being drafted first
overall in 2024 and quickly developing into one of the game's biggest stars. He
signed a five-year, $94 million extension this summer and is under contract
through the 2031-32 season.
Celebrini, who turned 20 in June, has 178 career points for the fifth-most ever
for a teenager and his 70 career goals are seventh best for a player before
turning 20.
Celebrini had 45 goals and 70 assists last season, with his 115 points breaking
Joe Thornton's franchise record of 114 set in 2006-07 and trailing Wayne
Gretzky (137 in 1979-80) and Sidney Crosby (120 in 2006-07) for the most in a
season for a player before turning 20.
He had the 10th-most points ever for a player who missed the playoffs,
recording a point on 46.2% of San Jose goals for the second-best rate in the
league behind Connor McDavid (48.9%) and the best ever for a teenager.
He also was the leading goal scorer in the Olympics, with five goals to help
Canada win the silver medal.
Despite Celebrini's exploits, the Sharks still missed the playoffs for the
seventh straight season. They improved by 34 points for the 10th best
single-season jump in the last 30 years but landed four points out of the
playoffs.
Celebrini is part of a strong young core in San Jose alongside fellow promising
players like Michael Misa, Will Smith, Igor Chernyshov and Sam Dickinson. The
Sharks added even more young talent this offseason with three first-round picks
headlined by Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 overall. They also
added North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 and WHL Vancouver
play-making defenseman Ryan Lin at No. 21.
General manager Mike Grier also brought in veteran reinforcements at the start
of the offseason, trading for defenseman Darnell Nurse and signing defenseman
Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment.
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