The Sharks make 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini youngest captain in team history

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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.

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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 per cent of San Jose goals for the second-best rate in the league behind Connor McDavid (48.9 per cent) 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 a playoff spot.

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 off-season with three first-round picks headlined by Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 overall. They also added North Dakota defenceman Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 and WHL Vancouver playmaking defenceman Ryan Lin at No. 21.

General manager Mike Grier also brought in veteran reinforcements at the start of the off-season, trading for defenceman Darnell Nurse and signing defenceman Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment.

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Josh Dubow, The Associated Press