The San Jose Sharks named star forward Macklin Celebrini the 11th full-time captain in team history Friday.
Celebrini soared last season, recording 45 goals and 115 points in all 82 games. He finished fourth in NHL scoring and broke the Sharks' single-season scoring record, previously held by Joe Thornton.
Thornton presented the "C" to Celebrini.
From one Sharks captain to another. Joe Thornton presented Macklin Celebrini with the C. pic.twitter.com/iqPYRsN2tW
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 25, 2026
Celebrini's 115 points were the third-most by a teenager in NHL history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (137 in 1979-80) and Sidney Crosby (120 in 2005-06).
The Sharks' captaincy was previously vacant. Logan Couture, San Jose's most recent captain, last played six games in 2023-24 before ending his NHL career in 2025 due to a hip injury.
Celebrini becomes the youngest active NHL captain at 20 years and 104 days old. Connor McDavid is the youngest captain in league history, as the Edmonton Oilers gave him the "C" at 19 years and 266 days old.
The Sharks signed Celebrini to a five-year contract extension in July with an $18.8-million cap hit, which kicks in for the 2027-28 campaign. It was briefly the highest cap hit in league history until the Colorado Avalanche extended defenseman Cale Makar at a $20.4-million cap hit.
Celebrini captained Canada at the world championship in May, and he remained captain even after Crosby joined the roster. Celebrini also featured for Canada at the Olympics in February, winning a silver medal.
