Max Miller
Macklin Celebrini is the 13th captain in San Jose Sharks franchise history, and now the 20-year-old is the youngest active captain in the NHL.
On Friday, the team held a press conference to introduce the Sharks superstar as the captain.
“I found out in that video that got posted at a team meeting. It’s a huge honor to wear the ‘C’, especially for this organization, with how many special leaders and players that we’ve had in the past,” Celebrini said. “On our team right now, we have so many amazing leaders and veterans in our group that rub off on all of us, and they set the example from day one.”
Celebrini was part of a group of five Sharks players to wear an ‘A’ last season.
Celebrini has always been a humble person and player. That was evident when asked how he felt about becoming the newest captain.
“Huge honor. I think just something that I can’t really take lightly,” Celebrini said. “Obviously, there’s a responsibility that comes with that, but at the same time, I’m not really going to change who I am or what I do. But, like I said, it’s just a huge honor, first and foremost. Just an amazing honor. I feel privileged to wear this jersey and be the captain.”
Celebrini’s hockey idol is Sidney Crosby. He’s played with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain on three occasions. But the third time, the San Jose Sharks center was captain of Team Canada, with Crosby’s approval.
“That was a tremendous honor. Just wearing it for my country and having some of those guys in that room, like [Sidney Crosby], [John Tavares], and [Ryan] O’Reilly. There were plenty of leaders in that room, and they were so gracious just to let me take that responsibility and have that trust in me,” Celebrini said. “I mean, throughout that tournament, it was a lot of learning, just asking them questions. Just being around those guys, watching how they do things.”
Celebrini signed a five-year extension that kicks in in 27-28, and being in teal for a long time was critical in Sharks GM Mike Grier’s assessment as the next captain. But Celebrini stayed humble during the press conference, giving credit to his teammates.
“I think that’s the special thing about our group. We’ve built such a cool culture and relationship with each other, where we’re all super tight,” Celebrini said. “It’s not just going to come from me or [Ryan Warsofsky]. I think it’s going to come from our whole group. We have guys that have been around a lot of winning teams, and they know what it takes, and have a lot more experience than me.”
Celebrini’s Sharks teammates spoke highly of him after practice on Friday.
While Celebrini now has the ‘C’, the rest of the San Jose Sharks leadership group has yet to be announced.
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