San Jose Sharks Need to Name Macklin Celebrini Captain – The Hockey Writers –

What’s been obvious in theory for a while now has to be put into reality. Macklin Celebrini needs to be the captain of the San Jose Sharks by the start of the 2026-27 season.

In the first two seasons of his career, Celebrini has proven exactly why he’s worthy of the title. He’s commanding the respect a captain should have, and the Sharks can firmly establish the next chapter of franchise history by giving him the role.

Celebrini Is Already a Sharks Leader

Celebrini might not officially be San Jose’s captain yet, but he’s already exemplified a lot of the qualities that make a good captain. Even with his obvious natural talent, he’s one of the hardest workers on the Sharks. As the team’s best player, he serves as a leader without having to say much, thanks to his work ethic. At the same time, he’s learned how to be more vocal and confident in speaking up, and he’s blown his teammates away in the process.

“I love watching him on the ice. It’s just cool to see somebody that young, he’s such a good kid, very mature on the ice for his age, and the way he carries himself at his age is very impressive,” Sharks forward Ryan Reaves said. “I’m a fan all the time, but glad I’m his teammate for sure.”

“He’s just an intense human being, so being around him makes you want to be better,” forward Tyler Toffoli added. “And I thought he did a really good job of taking care of the guys. Going on the road, wanting to get together with the guys all the time.”

Later in the same comments, Toffoli spoke positively about the possibility of Celebrini putting the C on his jersey.

“I mean, obviously he leads by example,” Toffoli said. “And when you work as hard as he does, like I was saying, with how intense [he is] and everything that he brings, I definitely don’t see a reason why not.”

Celebrini has long been a candidate for the captaincy, and he’s been gearing up for it basically since the start of his rookie season. He was an alternate captain this season as the Sharks continued their captainless, post-Logan Couture era. But far more importantly than just the title, he figured out how to be a team leader, something the Sharks should count on from him for many seasons to come.

World Championships Provide More Evidence

Celebrini’s teammates respect him tremendously, but the admiration he receives stretches far beyond San Jose. His acclaim on an international level started at the Olympics, where he was one of Canada’s best players and garnered high praise from some of the biggest names in hockey, including Sidney Crosby. However, he’s currently showing exactly why he deserves an NHL captaincy by wearing the C for Canada at the World Championship. In addition to posting good numbers and leading the Canadians to a strong start in the early going of the tournament, he’s earned the trust of the rest of the locker room, even as more experienced players join the roster.

Given that not all the big names in the NHL are playing, the World Championship isn’t the ultimate indicator of who’s who in hockey, but Celebrini keeping the captaincy after Crosby’s arrival still says a lot. He’s getting respect from the sport at large, and the Sharks should see that as a sign that he’s ready to take on more responsibility within the franchise.

Sharks and Celebrini Ready for Another Challenge

Thus far in his career, Celebrini has responded well to just about every task the Sharks have asked of him. After a good rookie year, he became one of the most important players in the NHL this season, almost singlehandedly dragging the Sharks to the border of playoff contention as a leader both on and off the ice. This offseason, the San Jose front office should make certain aspects of his life easier by building a better supporting cast around him. But in another sense, they should also give him more responsibility by making him captain — possibly attached to a contract extension. Everything in his career so far proves he’s ready for it.

Due to Couture’s injury history, the Sharks have effectively not had a captain since January 2024. This made sense during the transitional period they were in, but now they expect to seriously contend for the postseason. They should bring more leadership back into their organization, and Celebrini’s captaincy will be a major step in that direction.