Being the first overall pick in any draft naturally comes with big pressure. Macklin Celebrini, however, is not only overcoming that pressure but is thriving as he continues to display his outstanding skills in his second year in the NHL.
Celebrini carries with him 18 goals, 35 assists and an astounding 54 points in 35 games played, a huge gap with the other players who were drafted 2nd through 5th overall in the same year as him:
- Artyom Levshunov of the Chicago Blackhawks with 15 PTS (1 goal and 14 assists in 33 games).
- Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks with 28 PTS (11 goals and 17 assists in 36 games).
- Cayden Lindstrom was drafted 4th by the Columbus Blue Jackets but has not played in an NHL game yet.
- Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens with 26 PTS (7 goals and 19 assists in 35 games).
Entering Monday, Celebrini stands as one of three other players in the league with 50 or more points: Nathan MacKinnon (59 pts) of the Colorado Avalanche, Connor McDavid (59 pts) and Leon Draisaitl (50 pts) of the Edmonton Oilers.
Celebrini's most successful game so far this season was against the New York Rangers on October 23, 2025, where he left the Big Apple with a hat trick and two assists for five points, helping the Sharks to their victory in overtime.
With 54 points, Celebrini is currently ahead of Mikko Rantanen (48 pts), Martin Necas (46 pts), Connor Bedard (44 pts), Nikita Kucherov, Matt Boldy, and Jason Robertson (43 pts).
He further widens the gap with the other 1st overall picks from 2020-2025:
- 2020: Alexis Lafrenière of the New York Rangers with 18 pts (7 goals and 11 assists in 36 games).
- 2021: Owen Power of the Buffalo Sabres with 9 pts (3 goals and 6 assists in 32 games).
- 2022: Juraj Slafkovský of the Montréal Canadiens with 20 pts (10 goals and 11 assists in 35 games).
- 2023: Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks with 44 pts (19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games).
- 2025: Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders with 24 pts (9 goals, 15 assists in 36 games).
Celebrini further added to his achievements by surpassing Wayne Gretzky (51 pts) for the second-most points by a teenager before Christmas of all-time, with 53 points. He is now trailing the record holder, Sidney Crosby (55 pts), at just 19 years old.
Coming from Boston University, Celebrini was picked 1st overall by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft. In his rookie year, he was a strong contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy, but fell behind Lane Hutson of the Montrèal Canadiens—the winner. Hutson beared 66 points while Celebrini fell short with 63 points.
The Sharks currently stand at 21st in the league with a record of 14-11-9, carrying 37 points and tying with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sharks are showing improvement from their performance last season and are hopeful that they will make the playoffs this year.