Team Canada smoked Czechia 5-0 in their first game at the 2026 Milan Olympics. NHL players are back in the fold, which puts Canada and the US on a collision course for the Gold. Macklin Celebrini scored the first goal for Canada on Thursday, which had Nathan MacKinnon heaping insane praise on the 19-year-old.
“I mean, he's the truth,” MacKinnon told ESPN's Ryan S. Clark. “He's going to be the best player in this league for a long time. He might already be there.”
MACKLIN CELEBRINI GOAL. CALE MAKAR ASSIST.
Team Canada grabs their first goal of the Winter Olympics! pic.twitter.com/Y9g95czCNp
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2026
MacKinnon is not the only former MVP impressed with Celebrini. Sidney Crosby, Team Canada's captain, spoke with Clark about Celebrini's play in the first Olympic game. “He was an up-and-coming young player that a lot of people were talking about. Between hearing that and then seeing him on the ice a little bit. I think he was injured the first time I met him, but he did go on the ice for a little bit and you could see his skill.”
Celebrini is putting together an MVP case with the San Jose Sharks in the NHL. He is fourth in the NHL with 81 points, behind Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and MacKinnon. None of his Sharks teammates has more than 39 points, a mark held by Will Smith.
Canada brought Celebrini over as the only teenager on their team. They left 20-year-old Connor Bedard and 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer, both fellow No. 1 overall picks, at home in favor of veterans. But Celebrini forced their hands, putting up an insane season before turning 20 years old. He proved Team Canada right by scoring their first goal at the Olympics.
Canada has Gold Medal aspirations after winning the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. And adding Celebrini to their elite forward unit makes them the favorites at the tournament. Canada plays on Friday afternoon against Switzerland.
