The Sharks didn’t need long to figure out who they want to be this season — and Macklin Celebrini believes they found that direction far from home.

In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alan Hoshida, the 19-year-old center explained San Jose has carved out a much clearer identity than it showed last season.

“We have more of an identity than we did last year,” Celebrini told Hoshida. “We’re just playing better hockey throughout our group. Our goaltending has been phenomenal, obviously, both of them. We’re starting to play the right way, and we’re clicking.”

Asked what that identity looks like, Celebrini pointed to the style he believes brings out the best in the group.

“I think playing fast, playing on top of teams, like forechecking and turning over pucks,” Celebrini said. “I feel like that’s when we’re at our best.”

That approach, he added, is why this year feels different from last season’s struggles. The Sharks finished 20-50-12 in the 2024-25 NHL season. This year, they’ve already pushed out to an 11-9-3 start and look far more connected.

“I think it’s just the group we have,” Celebrini noted. “We all get along. We’re all pretty tight, and I think we’ve bonded really well as a team.”

For Celebrini, that bond solidified during the Sharks’ early trip to New York — a stretch that came right after a five-game losing skid to open the season.

Hoshida framed the New York swing as a possible turning point, and Celebrini didn’t disagree. The Sharks went 1–2 on that trip, falling to the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils but grabbing a dramatic overtime win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

“Once we got on that road, I mean, any road trip like that helps,” Celebrini shared with Hoshida. “We went to a Broadway show together, and just being on the road with each other helped bring our group together. Getting a couple wins on the road and kind of clicking … I think it was a little bit of a turning point.”

The Sharks’ identity is still forming, but Celebrini believes the confidence and connection that surfaced on that trip have stayed with them — and might end up defining their season.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast