Just two seasons into his NHL career, Macklin Celebrini already is doing things Sharks fans haven’t seen in several years.

Former center and captain Joe Pavelski was a key part of San Jose’s previous core, which reached the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in franchise history in the 2015-16 NHL season.

As he prepares to defend his title at the 2026 American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe this week, Pavelski shared what he’s seen thus far from Celebrini as the 20-year-old looks to take the Sharks to new heights.

“It’s impressive what he’s been able to do,” Pavelski told NBC Sports California’s Jordan Elliott on Wednesday. “But like what I see out of it is his work ethic, you know, and the egoless work ethic there and just onto the next play, and looks like he absolutely loves the game and everything that comes with it. It’s great for the organization to have kind of a leader like that playing the way he has, and, you know, you just have to guess he’s going to keep improving and wanting more, so it’s exciting times.”

Last season, Celebrini tallied 115 points to break the franchise scoring record held by Pavelski’s longtime teammate, Joe Thornton.

But the Sharks’ phenom has his sights set higher than just individual marks. Celebrini appears to be a franchise centerpiece capable of bringing Lord Stanley’s Cup to San Jose for the first time.

Pavelski was asked what it would mean for Celebrini and the Sharks’ growing young core to do just that.

“Everything,” Pavelski said. “That’s what you want. The connection we had with the fan base when we were there was special, and you can see it — from a distance through the TV — you can see they’re back and the Tank’s rocking again, and it’s exciting. Yeah, we need a group to get over the hump all the way, and it would be special for the area for sure.”

And if the Tank already has been rocking this early into the Sharks’ resurgence, one can only imagine that atmosphere if Celebrini can lead the team on a deep playoff run or two … if not more.

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