{"id":555133,"date":"2026-04-18T09:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T09:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555133\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T09:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T09:03:56","slug":"san-jose-sharks-macklin-celebrini-eye-nhl-playoffs-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555133\/","title":{"rendered":"San Jose Sharks, Macklin Celebrini eye NHL playoffs next season"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN JOSE \u2013 It wasn\u2019t long after he set a new San Jose Sharks franchise record<\/a> for points in a season \u2014 with yet another stirring performance<\/a> \u2014 that Macklin Celebrini was setting up the team\u2019s outlook for the following year.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, you never know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Celebrini said Thursday after the Sharks\u2019 6-1 win<\/a> over the lifeless Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. \u201cJust a fresh mindset and looking forward to making the playoffs and making that push.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of got a taste of it this year. But now those expectations are there, and that\u2019s what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n

With two more wins this season, or four more points<\/a> in any fashion, the Sharks (39-35-8) could be on their way to Denver to take on the Presidents\u2019 Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche i<\/a>n a tantalizing David vs. Goliath first-round matchup.<\/p>\n

Established NHL power vs. plucky upstart, with all the pressure and expectations on the Avalanche, favorites to win the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

As it is, the Sharks finished 11th<\/a> in the Western Conference with 86 points, four back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot. It was a 34-point improvement<\/a> for the Sharks, whose 39 wins this season matched the total they had in the previous two years combined.<\/p>\n

The Sharks finished 29th in 2023, and 32nd each of the past two seasons. Now, they feel like they\u2019re on the verge of a breakthrough.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c(There\u2019s) a lot of momentum,\u201d said Celebrini, whose 115 points in 82 games broke Joe Thornton\u2019s single-season record of 114 set in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

\u201cI for sure can speak for myself and a lot of the other guys in the room, I think it brings that mindset of, we got so close (to making the playoffs), and we kind of know we can do it. That\u2019s going to be our goal next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering Celebrini\u2019s record and how he set it with a goal and two assists against the listless Jets, there was naturally (and understandably) a lot of euphoria after Thursday\u2019s game. Enough, anyway. to perhaps forget about the recent stinkers the Sharks laid down in losses to the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

The Sharks\u2019 overtime loss to the 32nd-place Canucks<\/a> in their final home game of the season last Saturday came a few days before the loss to the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Earn some more points in that final stretch, or tack on another win during some other downturn this season, and maybe the Sharks are getting ready for their first postseason appearance in seven years.<\/p>\n

All this despite being 30th in the NHL in goals allowed per game (3.54).<\/p>\n

Along with the good stuff, the Sharks would do well to also remember what went wrong this past season.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the Sharks are hoping this season was not only another step toward making the playoffs next year, but the start of a years-long competitive window.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of issues the front office and coaching staff need to address<\/a> to make that happen, of course, but the Sharks had to start somewhere, and another year scraping the bottom of the NHL barrel was not going to be acceptable.<\/p>\n

Addressing the Sharks after Thursday\u2019s win, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky thanked his players<\/a> for laying the groundwork for better days ahead, even though some of the individuals he was speaking to will not be on the team next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to look back at some point about (how this was the) team \u2026 that got this organization off the ground again, so that\u2019s something to be damn proud of,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cObviously, the room is going to change, but every one of you guys had a big part of getting this team back in the picture (with) some respect back in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warsofsky is excited to see what Celebrini and the Sharks\u2019 other young players can do in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, man. Every time we think we have a ceiling (for Celebrini), we keep pushing the ceiling up,\u201d Warsofsky later told reporters. \u201cWe think he\u2019s going to be a player, obviously, that\u2019s going to continue to get better in a lot of different ways. But I know he\u2019s extremely determined to get this team into the playoffs and do some damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that will be something that he\u2019ll be excited for in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warsofsky then became emotional as he spoke about the NHL\u2019s young phenom he\u2019s coached over the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people don\u2019t realize is, he is an unbelievable human being, and that\u2019s how special he is,\u201d Warsofsky said of Celebrini. \u201cHe\u2019s got a high character \u2014 you can tell he was raised with some really good parents. It\u2019s hard to put into words because he\u2019s a special kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the three points, Celebrini scored or assisted on 45.8%<\/a> of the Sharks\u2019 251 goals this season. That percentage of a team\u2019s goals in one year is the highest-ever for a teenager in NHL history, eclipsing Wayne Gretzky\u2019s mark of 45.5% during the 1979-80 season when The Great One was 19.<\/p>\n

That year, Gretzky scored or assisted on 137 of the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 301 goals.<\/p>\n

Celebrini also joins Gretzky as the only teenagers in NHL history with at least 40 goals and 70 assists in one season.<\/p>\n

In a recorded message for Celebrini shared on the Sharks\u2019 social media channels,<\/a> Thornton said, \u201cMacklin. Macklin, Macklin, what a season. I thought the record was going to stand for a little bit longer than two years. I thought I\u2019d at least get you out of your teenage years, but I guess not.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Mack, you know how I feel about you and your game, and I just love watching you. But congratulations, you know the Thorntons love you and can\u2019t wait to see you keep breaking more of your own records.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrini and his teammates will instead take a spot in next season\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

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