The San Jose Sharks have taken a huge step forward in 2025-26 after a couple of dark, dark years — and Macklin Celebrini has been the catalyst.
The sophomore forward is in the midst of a true breakout, currently sitting second in league scoring behind only Hart Trophy favorite Nathan MacKinnon, with 40 points in just 26 games. Even more impressively, he's factored on an NHL-high 50 percent of San Jose's goals, per Sportsnet Stats.
“Only 4 players in the modern era have been involved in more than 50.0 percent of team goals in a season: Wayne Gretzky (3x), Mario Lemieux (2x), Connor McDavid (2x) and Jaromir Jagr.”
It's legendary company for the 19-year-old, who has fully put the Sharks on his back throughout the campaign. Being involved in every second goal his team scores is just ridiculous, especially at such a young age.
It's only a matter of time before Celebrini is named captain, and he's the catalyst steering the Sharks out of the rebuild. Through 28 games in 2025-26, San Jose is 13-12-3 and fourth place in the Pacific Division.
That record is good enough for the second wildcard berth in the Western Conference, a place the California franchise hasn't been anywhere near since well before Celebrini was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Can Sharks stay competitive all season long?
Celebrini is currently on pace to amass over 100 points, which is going to be a difficult pace to maintain for nearly five more months. But he hasn't been the only Sharks player producing.
Will Smith has also been terrific, scoring at just under a point-per-game pace, to the tune of 12 goals and 27 points in 28 games. The 2023 fourth overall pick hasn't missed a beat on Celebrini's wing this year, and scored a few highlight-reel goals to boot.
A couple other older forwards have also provided key depth scoring: Tyler Toffoli (18 points), William Eklund (17 points) and Philipp Kurashev (14 points) have all managed strong starts. On the back end, offseason addition Dmitry Orlov has led the way with 16 points after signing as an unrestricted free agent.
But the most important improvement to the defensive side of the puck has been Yaroslav Askarov, who has emerged into the bonafide starting netminder. The young Russian has won 10 of his 18 starts while sporting a respectable 3.15 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
Put all of that together, and the Sharks look like a team that can contend for a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference all campaign long. It's too early to say that the squad has completely come out of the rebuild, but the early returns in 2025-26 must be hugely encouraging for general manager Mike Grier and the entire leadership group.
Celebrini has certainly earned himself a spot on Team Canada's Olympic roster, and he seems to be getting better and better every game. With a much better supporting cast than years past, it might be time for the Sharks — a longtime bottom-feeder — to be taken seriously once again.
