SAN JOSE — By now, you have likely heard that Macklin Celebrini — the San Jose Sharks’ wunderkind forward and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft — is good.
But I am not sure you, the hockey world, or the sporting public at large quite understands just how good this 19-year-old actually is.
Because to call what is happening with Celebrini and the Sharks — now 9-8-3 and sitting just two points out of a playoff spot — a “turnaround” is to dramatically understate the reality.
And it isn’t “monumental” or “massive,” either.
No, this is seismic.
Mark my words: It is only a matter of time before the attention of the Bay Area fan shifts south, the hockey world feels a distinct tilt to the west, and everyone in North America knows that “Mack” means No. 71 in teal.
And, folks, things are just getting started down here.
Because Celebrini isn’t just good. He is already great. He’s a teenager dominating grown, millionaire men in the world’s best league.
And if this is merely his opening act, the next two decades are going to be something beyond spectacular.
On Tuesday night, Celebrini scored all three goals in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over Utah at the SAP Center, and each one displayed the kind of casual magic that only the transcendently great players can routinely produce.
Celebrini, born in 2006, is now tied for second in the NHL in scoring with 30 points in 20 games. By hitting that mark in 20 or fewer games before turning 20 years old, Celebrini joined one of the most illustrious lists in the history of the sport.
Here are the players who have done it before: Wayne, Mario, and Sid.
And now, Macklin.
That is the list. That is the kind of rarified company he keeps — first-name-only legends. Arguably the three greatest forwards in the history of the game.
“I don’t really want to hear about that,” Celebrini said after the game.
Celebrini isn’t one for talking about himself — he shuts down. And hockey players and coaches, in general, aren’t ones for “pumping tires.”
But the Sharks are doing a poor job of explaining why or how a teenager is a legitimate Hart Trophy contender.
They use words like “special” and “unique.”
Accurate? Sure. But, again, let’s try something a bit stronger.
How about transcendent?
“When you play like that, and you’re ‘that guy,’ it doesn’t matter if you’re 30 or 18,” Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais said.
Yes, that’s better: Celebrini is so good that in his own dressing room, he is treated like a demigod — ageless.
Now, look, I am not batting 1.000 on my predictions. There’s a steady string of folks on the internet who are keen to point that out. But for all the small things I’ve gotten wrong, I pride myself on nailing the big stuff — accurately predicting the tides.
When I arrived in the Bay in November 2014, I was living in Oakland and writing for KNBR.com, which meant I could write about anything I wanted in Bay Area sports.
Living two train stops from Oracle Arena, I started going to every Warriors game. It’s not like I, knowing no one in the area, had anything else to do.
It took about 30 minutes of real time at my first game to realize that I was watching the future of basketball. I still have a screenshot of the text I sent my dad that night: “This is the greatest basketball team I’ve ever seen.”
Now, these Sharks are not the greatest hockey team I’ve ever seen. But we’re early yet. And despite what Tuesday’s box score might indicate, they’re a solid all-around team, not just a one-man show.
But Celebrini? He’s the Sharks’ Steph Curry.
Yes, the most special thing in all of sports, league-changing greatness, anchored by an otherworldly talent, is happening in our backyard again.
Please take my word for it: When that happens, you grab onto the coattails and you ride it for as long as you can.
Because there is simply no ceiling on how good Celebrini can be.
How could there be when he is already one of the best players in the game?
Now, I understand why the SAP Center was half-full on Tuesday.
In recent years, you’d be lucky to get a single quality period of hockey per week out of the Sharks. The team has a lot of trust to rebuild with the fanbase.
And, let’s be honest, hockey isn’t exactly mainstream.
But the people who did show up to Tuesday’s game stepped into a time machine. They saw the future.
And it is indescribably bright.