Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini named to Canada’s Olympic team, joining elite company
SAN JOSE – In the end, San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini didn’t give Team Canada a choice.
Already considered one of the NHL’s best players, Celebrini, 19, joined elite company on Wednesday as he was officially named to the star-studded Canadian team’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.
Celebrini was the youngest player named to the Canadian team, which includes Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and several other top NHL players.
Celebrini, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, and a former player with the Jr. Sharks youth hockey program, made an air-tight case over the last two-plus months to be named to the prestigious team, as he entered Wednesday as the NHL’s third-leading scorer with 60 points in 39 games.
Celebrini figures to be a top-six forward on the Canadian team. But what likely helped Celebrini make the team, beyond his offensive production, is the way he plays without the puck.
“The way he plays a 200-foot game, the way he defends, the way he competes for pucks, how physical he is,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Celebrini on Wednesday before the Sharks played the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center. “I think that’s what probably set him apart.”
The Canadian team features 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goalies. The men’s hockey tournament begins on Feb. 11, and Canada’s first game is on Feb. 12 against Czechia. The Canadians, Americans, and Swedish teams are considered the favorites to win gold.
Here are the 2⃣5⃣ players who will wear the at #MilanoCortina2026!
Voici les 2⃣5⃣ joueurs qui porteront la à Milan-Cortina!
ROSTER: https://t.co/5I8Uz2Psfa
FORMATION : https://t.co/zbOWuEgdPQ@TeamCanada | @Equipe_Canada pic.twitter.com/dTc1YKengx— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 31, 2025
Doug Armstrong, Canada’s general manager, said he and his management team met in early December and reached consensus on 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies, with Celebrini among the 12 forwards.
Celebrini played for Canada at the World Championship in May, spending time as Crosby’s linemate. Fellow Olympians MacKinnon, Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders, and goalie Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues were also on that World Championship team.
Armstrong spoke with Celebrini on Wednesday morning and said since last season, “He’s really taken off. He’s gone to the Worlds. He fit in very well socially with the top players in the game, and his product on the ice speaks for itself. So he worked his way on. His resume is shorter, but it is extremely filled out for his age.”
Sharks players who have represented Canada in previous Olympics include Owen Nolan (2002), Joe Thornton (2006, 2010), Patrick Marleau (2010, 2014), Dan Boyle (2010), Dany Heatley (2010), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2014).
With 21 goals and 39 assists, Celebrini has been involved in exactly half of the Sharks’ 120 goals this season, as he’s led San Jose to a 19-17-3 record after the team had the NHL’s worst mark at 20-50-12 last year.
*cue O Canada* pic.twitter.com/B5Uhgw9NVq
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 31, 2025
Celebrini’s production has actually increased in the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s announcement. Celebrini had 37 points in 26 games through October and November, but in 13 games so far this month, he has seven goals and 16 assists.
Asked about Celebrini’s growth from his rookie year last season to now, Warsofsky said, “It started probably over the summer. He had a really good summer of training. You saw that when he came to camp, he was in even better shape than he was last year, which is (saying) a lot. He looked like he had gotten stronger. He looked like he was on a mission. … When the season started, he just kept getting better and better.”
Warsofsky said he and Celebrini have never had any conversations about the Olympics.
“I don’t think that needed to be discussed,” Warsofsky said. “Mack is pretty mature for his age, as far as being where his feet are, is one of the most impressive things about him. This is a pretty high achievement to be selected for this team. But I don’t think this is going to change anything that’s going to happen today. He’s going to be focused on helping this team win a hockey game.”
McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby, Makar, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point, and Florida winger Sam Reinhart were named to Canada’s Olympic roster in June.
Also named to the Canadian team on Wednesday were Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay), Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay), Brad Marchand (Florida), Mitch Marner (Vegas), and Mark Stone (Vegas). The blue line led by Makar includes Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), Thomas Harley (Dallas), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia), Shea Theodore (Vegas), and Devon Toews (Colorado).
Celebrini was one of four forwards named to the Olympic team on Wednesday who were not on Canada’s team that won the 4 Nations Face-Off event in February. The others are Horvat, Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, and Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens.
“A player like Celebrini, he’s so dynamic, so exciting,” Armstrong told TSN. “He wasn’t ready for the 4 Nations, in our opinion. The resume wasn’t deep enough. But then you watch him, he went to the Worlds and played with (Crosby). What really amazed me was how comfortable he was in that environment with those players. That says something for a young man, and then what he’s done this year, it’s phenomenal.”
This is the first time since 2014 that NHL players will be taking part in the Olympics. The league did not pause its schedule for the 2018 Games in South Korea due to a dispute with the IOC over cost issues, and in 2022, the NHL scrapped plans to allow its players to compete due to rising COVID-19 cases and a growing number of postponed league games.
Celebrini will likely not be the only Sharks player at the Olympics. Forward Philipp Kurashev is expected to be named to Switzerland’s roster, and winger Pavol Regenda will likely be on Slovakia’s team. Regenda helped Slovakia win its first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze, at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Center Alexander Wennberg and forward William Eklund also have a chance at being named to Sweden’s team.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Please check back for updates.