It was a very successful year for Celebrini. He is the second Sharks player to grace the cover of a video game after Owen Nolan in 2001, represented Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics and was recently named International Hockey Federation Men’s Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season.
Celebrini led the Olympics with five goals and was second with 10 points in six games. He helped Canada win a silver medal and was named to the tournament’s All-Star team. He also played for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in May, when he served as captain and finished second among all scorers with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 10 games.
The 20-year-old, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft by San Jose, was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, given annually to the NHL’s most outstanding player by the NHL Players Association, after finishing fourth in the league and setting a Sharks record with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games last season. He recorded a point in 60 games, including at least three of 18 times and at least four points five times. Celebrini scored 33 power play points and five game-winning goals to help San Jose finish 39-35-8 with 86 points after 20 wins and 52 points in 2024-25.
Celebrini is one of four nominees for NHL MVP at the 2026 ESPY Awards in New York on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN). He faces off against Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.