The San Jose Sharks have played without a captain for more than two years. The “C” has sat unused since Logan Couture’s final game in March 2024, according to The Hockey Writers. That vacancy is about to end, and the only real suspense left is the timing of the announcement, not the name attached to it: Macklin Celebrini.
Reports have increasingly pointed to the 20-year-old center as the Sharks’ next captain. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported this week that a source described Celebrini’s captaincy as “too obvious” and “all but certain.” ESPN’s Emily Kaplan wrote in May that the 20-year-old was “all but guaranteed” to get the letter ahead of the 2026-27 season, as noted by The Hockey Writers. When the Sharks make it official, Celebrini will become the 11th full-time captain in franchise history.
General manager Mike Grier has been deliberately cautious about piling responsibility onto his young star, wary of asking too much too soon of a player selected first overall in 2024. But Celebrini has responded by blowing past every expectation placed on him, on and off the ice, to the point that delaying the captaincy any longer would come across as an oversight rather than caution.
Celebrini’s Resume Demands the “C”
The on-ice case is overwhelming. Celebrini authored one of the great sophomore seasons in recent memory, breaking Joe Thornton’s franchise single-season record with 115 points (45 goals and 70 assists). He finished fourth in NHL scoring, more than 50 points clear of any teammate, and helped drag a Sharks team no one expected to compete to within four points of a playoff spot.
Celebrini also finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting and was a Ted Lindsay Award finalist. He is one of only a handful of teenagers in league history to reach 100 points in a season, and he did it while leading San Jose in scoring as a rookie with 63 points in 70 games.
His international résumé is equally strong. Celebrini was the first teenager ever named to a Canadian Olympic roster for an NHL-headlined game, and he finished second in tournament scoring during a silver-medal run in Milan. Hockey Canada handed him the captaincy at the World Championship, and kept the “C” on his sweater even after Sidney Crosby joined the roster.
Veterans and Teammates on Board
The support from within the locker room is telling. Ryan Reaves said, “I don’t know what else he could do... I saw it in a guy named Sidney Crosby.” Tyler Toffoli echoed that sentiment, pointing to Celebrini’s work ethic and intensity as qualities that set him apart.
Celebrini himself acknowledged the significance of the honor. Asked about the possibility of being named captain, he said, “That would mean a lot to me...”
Naming a captain at age 20 would put Celebrini in rare company. Sidney Crosby was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins as a 19-year-old, and Connor McDavid took the same step at a similar age for the Edmonton Oilers. Celebrini turned 20 in June, so he will not challenge McDavid’s record as the youngest captain ever, but he would still be among the youngest in NHL history to wear the “C.”
The Sharks are slated to open the 2026-27 season on October 1 against the Florida Panthers. The announcement could come at training camp or on opening night, but the outcome appears inevitable: Macklin Celebrini will be the 11th captain in Sharks history.