Macklin Celebrini is establishing himself as the top up-and-comer in hockey
As Canada runs through the competition in the preliminary round of the men’s tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics, one thing is becoming more and more clear – Macklin Celebrini is no longer a star of the future; he’s a star now.
The San Jose Sharks forward scored a pair of goals on Sunday, including a penalty shot goal in Canada’s 10-2 rout of France. It was the Olympic rookie’s third and fourth goals in the opening round, showing that, while he’s the youngest player on a stacked Canadian roster, there’s no reason people should be worried about his lack of seasoning.
On Daily Faceoff’s postgame show following Canada’s win on Sunday, Tyler Yaremchuk and Jeff Marek explain how Celebrini is the best youngster in the game today.
Jeff Marek: This is not going to be a shot at Connor Bedard, it’s not meant for that. He’s an excellent player. But the conversation about who’s better has to be over. If there ever was a conversation this year about Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, that conversation is done. … I’m sort of running out of superlatives to describe Macklin Celebrini. Again, I know it’s France, but another signature performance.
Tyler Yaremchuk: When you watch him play from the wide broadcast angle, you kind of forget that he’s 19 years old. Then, the camera zooms in on him, and you quickly remember that he’s 19 years old. He looks like a child out there compared to some of those guys. … I don’t think Connor Bedard would have been capable of going out for any of these games and being Canada’s best player. I think tonight, there is certainly a case and an argument to be made that Macklin Celebrini…he was their best player tonight. I think he was more effective than Connor McDavid, and that is saying something considering it was another three-point game for Connor McDavid, but Celebrini was just everywhere. He’s an absolute demon on the forecheck. His stick is so good. He finds those quiet areas, like with the puck, without the puck, He’s just so noticeable.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…