Olympic hockey rosters will be announced shortly, with rosters due on December 31. As Canada prepares its roster, a few young players have been making their case to be on the team, including Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. Now, his teammates are speaking up on his behalf, pushing for Celebrini to be on the roster.
“He has to be on that team. It’ll be weird otherwise,” said Sharks teammate William Eklund, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Celebrini has shown he is one of the best players in the world. The second-year pro has already set a career high in assists and is nearing his career high in goals and points. This season, Celebrini has found the back of the net 21 times, which is tied for eighth in the NHL. Meanwhile, he has added 39 helpers, which is tied for second in the league. That gives him a total of 60 points, good for third in overall.
“If there was ever any doubt, his last couple of games, he’s just solidified himself. He’s one of the best players in the world,” fellow teammate Zack Ostapchuk noted, per Peng.
Celebrini has been on fire this month. He has lit the lamp seven times since the start of December, while dishing out 16 assists. The Canadian star is also on an eight-game point streak. He has scored three goals in the last three contests. He is also coming off a one-goal and two-assist performance in a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
San Jose is having a great season, led by Celebrini. The Sharks are 19-17-3 on the campaign. That places them tied for fourth in the Pacific Division, and just five points behind the Edmonton Oilers for first place. It also places them currently in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
It looks like San Jose is coming out of the rebuild in a big way in 2025-26, and Celebrini has been the catalyst to the squad returning to relevance. There’s a great chance he’ll be suiting up for Team Canada come February.