Macklin Celebrini will wear an ‘A’ on his San Jose Sharks jersey on Thursday and for every home game this season.
The 19-year-old is entering his second NHL season with even more responsibility. Celebrini told reporters on Wednesday that he is honored to have been given a leadership role by the team.
“It’s a huge honor to know that they trust me to be one of the leaders of the team and wear a letter on my jersey. It means a lot,” Celebrini said. “If you asked me two years ago, I don’t think I’d say I would be in this situation. It feels good that they have that faith in me, and they trust me to lead by example.”
Celebrini has told reporters on many occasions that he has always looked up to Sidney Crosby. While also referencing Jonathan Toews on Wednesday, the Sharks alternate captain says he wants to remain himself as a leader.
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“I don’t think I will change anything I do. That’s not why they gave it to me,” Celebrini explained. “[I’m going to] approach every day the same, and be the person I am.
“I’ve watched a lot of Sid growing up and Jonathan Toews. He was one of my favorite players as well. They were both so successful in that era. They led their teams to victories in different ways. Both those guys were guys that I looked up to.”
Celebrini says it is an honor to be part of the #SJSharks leadership group. Says he grew up looking up to the leadership styles of Crosby and Toews— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 8, 2025
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky echoed the same message as the 19-year-old superstar.
“I want Mack to be Mack. I don’t think he needs to go be Joe Sakic or Sidney Crosby. He needs to be Macklin Celebrini and lead in his own way,” Warsofsky said. “I’m not going to micro-manage how he leads. He’ll wear his emotions on his sleeve. He’ll have to control his emotions, and he’ll learn through his mistakes with that. But I’ll never want to take that away from him. That’s what makes him great and who he is.”
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So what is Celebrini’s definition of a good leader?
“Someone who always sets the example. Your actions have more say than your words. I think what you do speaks volumes, and the best leaders I’ve been around have done that,” Celebrini said. “They don’t say one thing and then do the other. I think whatever they do, then comes the words and gets the group going. Also, having the right timing and [knowing] when to say something. When to get mad at guys. Some of the guys that I’ve been with, if you know the right time to get on a guy, or the right time to pick up a guy, I think those leaders are the best. They know the right time to do both those things.”
Celebrini attributes being more comfortable will allow him to be a good leader
The rest of the San Jose Sharks leadership group all say that Celebrini has been comfortable from the moment he walked in last season.
However, for Celebrini, he feels like he has even more comfort this season, which will enable more effective leadership.
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“I think just being more comfortable. The more time you spend in the same place, the more comfortable you feel. You build a relationship with all the guys,” Celebrini said. “That comes with anyone who spends enough time in one place. You just feel more comfortable talking to guys with whatever that may be.”
Tyler Toffoli, who sits next to Celebrini in the Sharks locker room, says he thinks the centerman has always been comfortable.
“I think he was quite comfortable last season,” Toffoli said with a smile. “So far, he’s only played the one game, but I thought he did a good job in Utah. Trying to keep everybody even keel, and did a good job of helping with the pushback.”
Mario Ferraro can relate to Celebrini as a young player getting a letter. Ferraro said that when he was given that role, he was looked at as the leader of the young guys. Warsofsky agreed with the Sharks defenseman.
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Photo credit: Dean Tait – Sport Shots
“Really just being himself. He’s a professional. He comes to the rink, he prepares well, [and] he obviously performs on the ice,” Ferraro said. “He’s a fun guy to be around. You see the videos. You see him around the rink and stuff like that. Just being himself, and the young guys will follow. He’s a good role model. He doesn’t have to try very hard to be a leader.”
Celebrini will debut the ‘A’ on his jersey for the first time in his career on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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