Macklin Celebrini Named 11th Sharks Captain in Team History Ahead of 2026-27 NHL Season

The San Jose Sharks are celebrating Macklin Celebrini's historic age-19 campaign by making him the youngest captain in franchise history.

The team shared a video Friday of Celebrini, 20, being presented with the 'C' by Sharks legend Joe Thornton.

The announcement comes about two months after the Sharks signed Celebrini to a five-year, $18.8 million AAV contract that runs through the 2030-31 season.

That deal, which is currently set to make Celebrini the NHL's highest-paid forward in terms of AAV, came on the heels of one of the best teenage seasons in NHL history.

Only Hart Trophy finalists Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon recorded more points last season than Celebrini.

He broke Thornton's single-season franchise points record by racking up 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) while playing all 82 games of his second season with the Sharks.

That made Celebrini the first teenager since Sidney Crosby in 2007, and the sixth in NHL history, to record 100 points in a single season.

He finished the season having factored in on more than 46 percent of all goals scored by the Sharks, which beat out Crosby and Wayne Gretzky for the highest rate by a teenager in NHL history (h/t Sportsnet Stats).

Celebrini's production helped the Sharks go from an NHL-low 20 wins the season prior to 39 victories last season, a jump that got the Sharks within sight of a playoff berth and made them the most improved team of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Sharks haven't had a captain since Logan Couture retired after the 2024-25 season. Celebrini served as an alternate captain last year alongside Barclay Goodrow, Mario Ferraro, Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg.

Celebrini gained more experience with captaincy earlier this offseason at the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship, during which he wore the 'C' for Team Canada on the team's way to a fourth-place finish in Switzerland.

He will now look to build on that leadership experience, as well as how close his team came to its first playoff berth 2019, by helping the Sharks stay in postseason contention starting with next Thursday's season opener against the visiting Florida Panthers.