San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is the NHL’s leading scorer as of Saturday, Nov. 8th.
The Sharks forward had a goal and an assist against the Winnipeg Jets to give him 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) on the season. With the 2026 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching, Celebrini is playing himself into a top spot on Canada’s roster.
After reaching NHL .500 for the first time in multiple years, the Sharks are led by their 19-year-old superstar. His play is being compared to that of some of the NHL’s best, such as Sidney Crosby.
Opposing teams’ best players are talking about Celebrini in ways that should earn him a spot on Canada’s roster. Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who played for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, couldn’t hold back the praise for Celebrini.
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“He’s an incredible young player. Every time we’ve seen him over the last year and a half here, he’s just better every time we play him. You see the run he’s on here to start the year offensively,” Morrissey said.
“What has impressed me a lot, even going back to when we saw him last season, is just his all-around game. His hockey sense and defensive side of the game as well. For a young player with that much offensive skill, I think he plays a pretty solid 200-foot game, and that’s pretty impressive. He’s an elite young player. He’s only going to continue to get better, and that’s scary for the league.”
Every player that faces the San Jose Sharks has done nothing but be amazed by what the 19-year-old has done.
Former Sharks forward Luke Kunin won’t be in the Florida Panthers lineup on Saturday, but that didn’t stop him from complimenting his former teammate.
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“It is fun to see from afar,” Kunin said. “With his play alone, how competitive he is. I think that’s what’s special about those types of players. Not only his talent with the puck and what he can do out there, but just the compete. How much he wants to win. You can see that. Those are the kind of guys you want.”
Opposing coaches already view Celebrini as an inevitable
As the Florida Panthers come to San Jose, two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion coach Paul Maurice talked about what makes Celebrini so special.
Maurice put Celebrini in the same category as Edmonton Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
“It would be a nice idea [to not let Celebrini get the puck]. Just the list of the players who sit at the top of all the scoring races over the years. Everybody’s got a plan, and it never works, or they wouldn’t be at the very top,” Maurice said.
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“We will do our best not to feed a team with skills offense. That’s probably the driver of it. It will create theirs. When you play against the Edmonton Oilers, and you play against Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, you can do a really, really good job, but they’re still getting some.”
Maurice’s praise of Celebrini didn’t stop there.
“Bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced,” Maurice said. “The advantage, I think, that he has is that he doesn’t seem to have to go through that three or four-year learning curve where it’s not all about the points. Because right now he’s able to do both. That’s a pretty good thing for San Jose.”
Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan was also impressed by more than just Celebrini’s offense.
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“Well, what impressed me about him is, yes, all those offensive things and his creativity and his vision, his shot, but his skating away from the puck. He wanted to work, coming back to his own end too. And he wanted to check, and he managed the game well. He didn’t extend things. He got off, and then he got back out,” McLellan said.
“It was pretty impressive for a young player his age that is already a superstar, but is going to just grow as time goes on, to have the sense of playing that way. A lot of young players could learn from that.”
Celebrini continues to produce for the San Jose Sharks at a level that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. His teammates and coaches understand how much he means to this organization, and any pressure doesn’t faze Celebrini.
Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s growth from last year: “He’s definitely taken a huge step here, let’s be honest, and in all facets of the game, not just on the point side of it. The way he plays without the puck, the way he competes, the way he drags guys into the fight.”— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2025
If the Sharks get consistent team success off the back of Celebrini’s elite production, there is no reason Celebrini shouldn’t be on Canada’s Olympic roster.
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