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Sharks' Macklin Celebrini Makes Admission on 2026 Olympics Participation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Dec 12, 2025 11:15 AM ET

The San Jose Sharks have surged back into playoff contention behind a breakout campaign from teenage forward Macklin Celebrini, whose production has pushed him into an unexpected spotlight this season.

The 19-year-old has climbed near the top of the NHL scoring race, putting up 15 goals (along with 29 assists) in just 32 games played through Thursday. That rise has also intensified discussion about his chances of playing for Team Canada as soon as the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Celebrini spoke to NHL's Mike Zeisberger on Wednesday, and he acknowledged his interest in representing Canada at the Olympics when asked about that possibility.

“I mean, for sure, in the summer, yeah,” Celebrini said about dreaming of making the Olympics roster. “That’s a goal. It’s a dream of every kid who grows up in Canada. Right when the season started, that wasn’t really my focus; it’s still not my focus [because I] can’t really control what they decide or what they do. But being on that team would be a huge honor.”

Macklin Celebrini has had playing for Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics on his radar for some time.

Read more on Celebrini's success so far in his second NHL season and what it would mean to him to have a spot on Canada's roster ⤵️https://t.co/X6G6H3DfiM
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) December 11, 2025

Celebrini's start to the season has kept him firmly in the conversation, and justifiably so. Celebrini has produced 44 points through 32 games, sitting third in the NHL scoring leaderboard, only trailing superstars Nathan MacKinnon (53) and Connor McDavid (48).

The Sharks forward is also in a three-way tie for the second-most assists (29), only behind McDavid (32).

Celebrini already represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he posted six points in eight games. His early NHL production has placed him among the youngest players to reach 100 career points.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates during a break in play.Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Canada’s general manager Doug Armstrong publicly praised both Celebrini and Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard as the country finalizes its 25-man roster before the Dec. 31 deadline.

“They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do, in the sense that we wanted to take the first two or three months to give everybody an opportunity to play their way onto the team, or at least to be talked about as contenders,” Armstrong said. “There are a young group of players who certainly have done that.”

San Jose, sitting just outside the playoff picture but in the wild-card places, is coming off an OT win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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