What was believed before can now be confirmed: Macklin Celebrini belongs on the biggest international stage in hockey.
Making his Olympic debut as the youngest NHL player in the Milan Cortina Games, Celebrini, the second-year San Jose Sharks center, scored his country’s first goal on an impressive first-period redirection as Canada went on to a decisive 5-0 win over Czechia on Thursday in the Group A opener for both teams.
Stationed in front of the net in the first period, Celebrini redirected defenseman Cale Makar’s shot from the point past goalie Lukas Dostal with just 5.7 seconds left before intermission, giving Canada a 1-0 lead at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
With the goal, Celebrini, at 19 years and 244 days old, became the youngest player to score for Canada at an Olympics featuring NHL players. The previous youngest player was Jonathan Toews, who was 21 years and 305 days old when he scored for Canada in its 3-2 win over the United States in the gold medal game at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“I was nervous and excited, but I really just wanted to get out on the ice and start playing,” Celebrini said after the win. “Today’s game is what we have been waiting for since the roster was selected, so it was good to get out there and start the tournament with a win.”
Celebrini finished with two shots on goal as he played alongside three-time Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson.
Canada’s Macklin Celebrini scores his sides first goal past Czechia’s goalkeeper Lukas Dostal during a preliminary round match of men’s ice hockey between Czech Republic and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
On Celebrini’s goal, McDavid retrieved the puck inside the Czechia zone and sent a cross-ice pass to Makar. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman took the rebound off the boards and released a shot toward the net that was just below shoulder height. Celebrini then reached out with his stick and directed it down past Dostal.
“Well, besides the goal, he played great,” McDavid told TSN about Celebrini after the game. “So, so solid along the wall, made so many great plays, kept so many pucks alive. Really, really impressive kid. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
The feeling was mutual for Celebrini, who lauded McDavid’s speed and vision.
“The way he thinks the game and the way he plays take some getting used to because he is so skilled, but I thought we played well together,” Celebrini said.
Along with scoring a goal in his Olympic debut, Celebrini also scored in his USHL debut with the Chicago Steel on Sept. 22, 2022, his NCAA debut with Boston University on Oct. 7, 2023, and his NHL debut with the Sharks on Oct. 10, 2024.
Celebrini also became just the fourth teenager to score a goal in their first-ever Olympic period involving NHL players, joining Finland’s Olli Määttä (Feb. 13, 2014), Russia’s Ilya Kovalchuk (Feb. 15, 2002), and Austria’s Oliver Setzinger (Feb. 9, 2002).
“When I met Mack this summer, you could tell he had that attitude, that swagger where he was going to be a great player for a long time,” said linemate Wilson. “At that age, you just don’t see that.”
With NHL players back in the Olympics for the first time since 2014, Thursday’s game was played at a predictably blistering pace, especially early on, as Canada showed off its impressive team speed.
MACKLIN CELEBRINI GOAL. CALE MAKAR ASSIST.
Team Canada grabs their first goal of the Winter Olympics! pic.twitter.com/Y9g95czCNp
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2026
Canada later took a 2-0 lead on a goal by Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone with 13:20 left in the second period. With 2:34 to go before intermission, New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat scored on a breakaway to give the Canadians a 3-0 lead.
Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki both scored third-period goals for Canada. McDavid had three assists, and both Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley had two.
Besides playing on Canada’s top line, Celebrini was also on Canada’s second power play unit with Horvat of the New York Islanders, plus Stone, Mitch Marner, and Shea Theodore of the Golden Knights.
Celebrini entered the Olympic break fourth in the NHL in scoring with 81 points, the most for a teenager after 55 games since Crosby had 91 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006-07 season.
“I don’t care who anybody is, whether you’re (Crosby) to (Drew) Doughty to Celebrini, when you’re playing in the Olympics for the first time, it never gets old, and everybody’s got their jitters,” Canadian coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought we got better as that game went on.”
The Canadians continue the preliminary round with games against Switzerland on Friday at noon (PST) and France on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The quarterfinals are on Feb. 18, with the semifinals two days later. The bronze medal game is on Feb. 21, and the gold medal game is the next day.
Besides Celebrini, other Sharks representing their countries are forwards Pavol Regenda (Slovakia), Alex Wennberg (Sweden), and Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland). All three players won their opening games, with Slovakia upsetting Finland 4-1 and Sweden beating Italy 4-2 on Wednesday. Earlier Thursday, Kurashev had an assist in Switzerland’s 4-0 win over France.
Like Celebrini and the 31-year-old Wennberg, this is Kurashev’s first Olympic experience. And with his hometown of Munsingen just a four-hour drive away from Milan, he has plenty of friends and family members in attendance.
“It’s a great honor to represent your country in the Olympics, and the fact that we can all go now is so cool for not only us players, but I think also for the fans,” Kurashev, 26, told Bay Area News Group earlier this month. “You see the best-on-best hockey, and I think everyone was missing that. I kind of saw that at the (4 Nations Face-Off), how everyone got into it, and how great a tournament that was.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of the same at the Olympics, and just happy that I can be a part of that and experience it.”