'He's the truth': Inside Macklin Celebrini's rise to stardom for the Sharks, Team Canada

Sidney Crosby has met thousands of youth hockey players during his 20-year NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. There's no way he, or anyone in his position, could be expected to remember every interaction.

Unless he's asked about Macklin Celebrini.

Crosby remembers meeting Celebrini for the first time in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Canadian Olympic captain took special note of the young prospect long before they would meet as opponents in the NHL and teammates in international competition.

"He was an up-and-coming young player that a lot of people were talking about," Crosby said. "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 developed into a two-way franchise center prospect and was drafted No. 1 in 2024 by the San Jose Sharks. He made the Sharks' roster months later and used his rookie season to prove he was more than capable of handling the demands of being a top-line pivot.

In his second season, he has emerged as one of the best players in the world. He was fourth in the NHL in scoring heading into the Olympic break, during which the 19-year-old will be suiting up for a Canadian team that is the odds-on favorite for gold. Celebrini scored Canada's opening goal of the tournament in Thursday's 5-0 win against Czechia.

"I mean, he's the truth," Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon said. "He's going to be the best player in this league for a long time. He might already be there."

CELEBRINI TURNS 20 in June and is at an inflection point in his career.

The Sharks appear to be ahead of schedule in their rebuild, and his performance is among the primary reasons they are five points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot at the Olympic break. He's in the top five in the NHL in assists, points and points per game, putting him in the race to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player.

The Sharks have had just two players reach the 100-point mark since their first season in 1991-92. Celebrini is 19 points shy of becoming the third with 27 games remaining, projected to finish with 121. The franchise's single-season record is 114, belonging to Joe Thornton -- the Hall of Fame center who is Celebrini's landlord.

He is on pace to have the greatest individual season in Sharks history, while having one of the greatest campaigns by a teenager in the NHL.

Celebrini has a chance to be only the sixth player in his age-19 season to finish with more than 100 points, according to QuantHockey:

That's a group that includes Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Crosby. If Celebrini were to reach the projected 121 points, only Gretzky would have scored more points during his age-19 season.

Celebrini made history by becoming the youngest player named to the Canadian men's national team Olympic roster and could play a pivotal role in helping Canada win a record 10th gold medal in men's ice hockey.

He has represented Canada before at youth tournaments. He first experienced playing for Canada at the senior level last spring when he was part of the team that went to the IIHF men's world championship.

That's when he was reunited with Crosby and got a chance to play alongside MacKinnon in a tournament setting. That allowed him to ask questions and learn from two players who've won a Hart Trophy, a Stanley Cup and have each been considered at one point to be the best player in the world.

"Watching guys like Sid and Nathan, all those guys, Ryan O'Reilly, too, because he's also won a Cup," Celebrini said, "it's just the way they handle themselves. It's the way they play. It's one of those that the more you're around them, the more you just watch. You don't have to ask them questions. I mean, I did [ask questions] because we all did."

PICKING PLAYERS FOR the world championship is different from selecting an Olympic roster. The world championship is usually held in early May, which means nations often select players from NHL teams that missed the postseason or were eliminated in the first round.

With the Sharks missing the playoffs, Canada could slot Celebrini in as a top-six center. Crosby hadn't played at the worlds since 2015 because the Penguins had been a perennial playoff team for most of his career. But the Pens also missed the playoffs, which opened the door. Canada added MacKinnon after the Avalanche lost in the first round.

Representing Canada at the world championship comes with expectations, as the country has won the tournament a record 28 times. The team's schedule includes time spent away from the ice that allows players to get to know one another.

That allowed Celebrini and other young players to learn from the veterans. New York Rangers forward Will Cuylle, who was also on Canada's team, said he and others benefited from watching elite players such as Crosby and MacKinnon up close.

"You just be yourself. Those guys are so friendly and they're normal guys," Cuylle said. "I think when you grow up watching them, you have this idea that they're almost superhuman. But when you get to know them, they are just normal guys. They're just very elite at what they do."

It started with how they practiced. Crosby and MacKinnon were among the first to take the ice. They didn't find a random part of the ice. They went to the same spots and followed their routines.

They also practice at full speed -- in 3-on-3 drills, 5-on-5 sequences and power-play details, even in the mini-games that were designed to make practice feel less monotonous.

"Being around them every day, seeing what they do, I think whether you want to or not, you're learning from them and picking up different things," Celebrini said. "There are different things that they do.

"But you also realize everyone is different. You see what works for MacKinnon may not work for Sid. Whatever works for Sid may not work for everyone else. You see what they do and what makes them successful."

MONTREAL CANADIENS DEFENSEMAN Mike Matheson was also a member of the Canadian team at the worlds. His insight into how Crosby and MacKinnon treated Celebrini is unique because of his personal history with both veterans. Matheson was Crosby's teammate for two seasons with the Penguins, and he trains with both of them in the offseason.

Matheson, 31, is a year older than MacKinnon and seven years younger than Crosby. The conversations he has had with them have helped him over the years.

"I can't imagine for a guy that young to be exposed to that kind of knowledge," Matheson said. "I think back sometimes when I was 21. I wish I knew half the stuff that I know now about how to play, how to think about the game and how to take care of myself."

Or understanding how it might take time to reach your full potential.

MacKinnon is honest about how his career started. He didn't make an instant impression like Crosby or Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid. Crosby scored 100 points as a rookie. McDavid had 100 by his second season. MacKinnon waited nine years to hit that benchmark, with the caveat that he could have done it earlier if not for injuries.

"I didn't work very hard my first few years," MacKinnon said. "I turned things around in a lot of different ways. I think that gets around the league. So when I go to the worlds, a lot of young guys ask me different things. I don't keep any secrets. I give it all away."

Matheson said there's already a built-in respect players have for Crosby and MacKinnon.

He said they've used that respect and have found ways to build on it by being accessible to everyone. They wanted all the players to feel as if they had a place at team dinners where they could be themselves and ask questions.

"That's such a tight tournament where you have to find some chemistry right away," Matheson said. "[Crosby's] always getting everybody together. He treats everybody equally and at a very high level."

There's also what MacKinnon said when it came to how he approached helping Celebrini.

"Honestly? He doesn't need my help much," MacKinnon said with a smile.

CELEBRINI WAS BORN in June 2006, just two months after the final game of Crosby's rookie season. He was 3 when Crosby scored the game-winning goal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, near where the Celebrini family lived at the time.

He spent his childhood watching Crosby win three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies and two Olympic golds. That track record of success is what drives so many young players to emulate Crosby.

Crosby said meeting Celebrini in 2022 was a starting point when it came to how they built a connection at the world championships. Another approach Crosby kept in mind when it came to interacting with Celebrini was being helpful -- but not invasive.

"I'm not going to just start trying to give guys advice right away," Crosby said. "I think it's very important just to get to know them or let them know that I am willing to help. I love talking about hockey, so I think you just talk about it naturally. You just naturally talk about plays or you may ask about something you may do or what he feels like he's trying to work on with a specific drill."

Crosby took that same approach with another young player who was also the first pick of his draft class.

That young player was MacKinnon, selected No. 1 in 2013.

"I remember when I was 17, 18. Sid didn't sit me down and say, 'This is what you need to do,'" MacKinnon recalled. "He's never done that, so I'm not going to do that either. If you ask for advice, it's something I'll do. But like I said with Macklin, he doesn't need my help."

Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour, who also played for Canada at the worlds, said the veterans talked about how Celebrini was only a teenager but already had NHL size at 6 feet tall and 190 pounds. They were impressed by his energy and how committed he was to playing the right way in both the defensive and offensive zones.

"They would make comments when we were hanging out like, 'This kid's the real deal.'" Montour said.

Celebrini's maturity also stood out to Montour. He said Celebrini carried himself with a quiet yet respectful nature. He was comfortable being around both the players who were closer to him in age and those who were much older.

That's when his teammates started to see what Montour affectionately called "the goofy kid."

"A goofy kid that has all the confidence," Montour smiled. "I enjoyed my time hanging out with him."

MacKinnon said he appreciated how Celebrini maintained "a good attitude" and remained competitive but did not seem to get too frustrated with himself.

He said Celebrini's outlook helps him do "all the right things" while fighting for the Sharks to seal their first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season.

"Who would have thought that?" MacKinnon said. "He's driving the bus, and a lot of players are going to want to go there just for him. I'm really happy for him and really, really happy they took him on the Olympic team as well. He's one of the best players in the world today. It doesn't matter if he's 50 or 19, he is electric and competitive and he'll be ready for that moment for sure."

CELEBRINI WAS ON the ice for 19:18 in the Sharks' first game against Crosby and the Penguins this season. He shared the ice with Crosby for three minutes, 18 seconds in a 4-3 shootout win for Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. By the time they played again on Jan. 27, Celebrini matched up more often against Crosby. He played nine minutes, 22 seconds against him, the most ice time of any Sharks forward. The Sharks won 2-1.

"His effort away from the puck, he's committed to play on both ends of the ice. That's always something that as a young player takes time," Crosby said. "You're trusting your reads, and it's a fine line between looking for offense and being on the right side of the puck. Sometimes, it takes time to develop. He seems to understand that, and he takes it seriously. He's got a lot of pride in that, and it's only going to help his team when he's playing that way."

Asked about Celebrini's development in his second season, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky brought it back to what Celebrini does on the defensive end.

"He wants to play a 200-foot game, and for a 19-year-old that is also in the top five in the league in scoring that is unheard of," Warsofsky said. "That should be the story."

Warsofsky has coached older players in the ECHL and AHL. He appreciates seeing a teenager care so much about his defensive effort.

Warsofsky said Celebrini understood where he needed to improve and has a command for the speed of an NHL game.

Combine that with the strength and conditioning work he did, and it's the blueprint he has used to have a statement season before turning 20. Warsofsky said Celebrini has become one of the Sharks' most physical players when it comes to winning puck battles.

"You get confidence. The best hockey players play with confidence," Warsofsky said. "His play away from the puck. He's starting to realize that if he doesn't touch the puck in a shift that it's OK. Last year, he wanted to have the puck on his stick as much as possible. He's learned that sometimes you don't touch it and that's OK, and that it's still a positive shift."

Celebrini has a very real chance of boosting the Sharks into the playoffs, helping Canada win Olympic gold, winning the Hart and logging one of the greatest seasons by a teenager in NHL history, in addition to the best individual season in team history.

"I mean, it is pretty cool, but nothing has really changed in my life," Celebrini said. "I'm just trying to do the same thing I did last year and that's having fun and enjoying it."