Celebrini Keeps Sharks in the Hunt, Cements Case for the Hart

The Shark Tank’s roof at SAP Center shook in ways it hasn’t in almost seven years. Pathetic hockey devoid of any life or any semblance of competitiveness has plagued the Sharks since their roster fell apart following their deep run in 2019, but for the first time since Joe Pavelski captained the team from San Jose, the Sharks felt euphoria. Who is to thank for this? Obviously it is none other than Macklin Celebrini. 

On Wednesday night, the Sharks entered the game against their in-state rival Anaheim Ducks within a point of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. As the Kings took down St. Louis in overtime, the Sharks needed to win to stay within striking distance of the Kings, and they did on the back of Celebrini. 

Celebrini’s historic motor has carried the Sharks from a perennial embarrassment to facing off against the team sitting in first place in the Pacific Division on prime time television. When the lights were brightest, the 19-year-old phenom rose to the occasion, recording four points in a 4-3 win that needed every ounce of his offensive output to keep the dream of ending their playoff drought alive. 

A bad Dmitri Orlov turnover left Troy Terry in alone on Yaroslav Askarov gave the Ducks the lead again in the third period. Maybe it just wasn’t the Sharks night, and maybe this year just isn’t the year they make it back to the playoffs. As time kept ticking, each passing second felt like the nail driving deeper in the coffin for their season, but with just 1:39 left in regulation and the goalie pulled, Celebrini fired the puck top shelf. Aided by a perfect screen up front by Alex Wennberg, he beat Lukáš Dostál again for his third point of the game. Then, miraculously with 31 seconds left, Celebrini deked the defense, baiting them into thinking he’d swing fully around behind the net, then hits Wennberg’s tape in stride in the slot. Wennberg. Top shelf. 4-3 Sharks. Four point night for Macklin Celebrini, and the Sharks are still in control of their own playoff destiny. 

After a skid that felt like the end of their playoff hopes, the Sharks took the lead in the final minute of regulation for the third game in a row giving them another life. Against the Ducks, Celebrini passed Erik Karlsson for second in franchise history for most points in a season, only trailing Hall of Famer and housemate Joe Thornton for the top spot. 

Contextually, there are four major reasons why Celebrini cemented any doubt that he is the deserving winner of the 2025-26 Hart Trophy following a masterclass on national television. 

1. Celebrini’s season point total is double the next highest performing Shark. Well, three points off. 

After the thriller against the Ducks where Celebrini had four points and linemate Will Smith notched three of his own, putting 71 at 105 points while Smith is at 54. Absurd. Celebrini is doing more than driving the bus, he’s putting the bus on his back and carrying it uphill after its tires blew out. In comparison, Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 125 points. The next best Oiler, Leon Draisaitl, is fifth in the NHL with 97. Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon each have 121. On the Lightning, the next highest point total belongs to Jake Guentzel with 81, while the Avalanche’s second highest point scorer is Martin Necas with 91 points. 

2. Celebrini dominated the Olympics with some of his MVP competitors as teammates. 

McDavid ended up winning tournament MVP by leading the tournament with 13 points, but Celebrini was second in the tournament in points with 10 and he led all skaters with five goals. When it came to putting the puck in the net, Celebrini outclassed McDavid, MacKinnon, and every player that suited up for the Olympics. No wonder Canada Head Coach Jon Cooper gushed in interviews about how he wished he never had to take 71 off the ice. 

3. Celebrini has by far the weakest supporting cast surrounding him compared to the other top point getters and MVP contenders, and he is doing so at only 19-years-old.

Without Celebrini, the Sharks would almost certainly have one of the top three picks in the draft for the third year in a row, but because 71 is in the lineup, the Sharks are fighting for the playoffs in April. To really put things into perspective, Celebrini has unfathomably contributed to 48% of the Sharks goals this season. By taking away one player, you erase half of an entire team’s offense. Tonight in a must win game for the Sharks, a game where San Jose needed every bit of offensive production they could squeeze out of the whole roster, Celebrini delivered in the clutch knotting the score with a pulled goalie, and gift-wrapped a beautiful primary assist on the game winner with 31 seconds left. The Sharks needed four goals to win this game, and he recorded four points. This has been the theme of the season. Celebrini is always counted on to do enough to get his team by. 

4. The Sharks are 1-13-2 when Celebrini doesn’t score a point.

Quite literally, if Celebrini isn’t putting the team on his back, the Sharks lose. Simple as that. The Sharks smelling blood in the water being a single point from the playoffs in April is as miraculous as it is utterly absurd. The Sharks feel like a basketball team that has one star that has to keep putting up 40 point games to stay alive, and it’s baffling just how much weight is put on a single player in such a team oriented game. 

Whether Celebrini joins guys like Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky on a new list every night or he is so obviously the best player on the ice any given night, there is no player in the NHL as valuable to his team as Celebrini is to the Sharks, full stop.