The San Jose Sharks announced Friday that Macklin Celebrini will be the team's next captain. Is this the right move?
After a season without a captain, the San Jose Sharks named Boston University alumnus Macklin Celebrini the franchise’s 11th captain.
Not long ago, the 20-year-old dominated college hockey at BU, scoring 32 goals and 64 points, earning him the 2024 Hobey Baker Award.
He was eventually drafted first overall and has since been a great player; last season, he finished with 45 goals and 115 points for the Sharks. That performance landed him a five-year, $94 million contract carrying an AAV of $18.8 million.
Celebrini choosing to play college hockey as a Canadian and bypassing Canadian junior hockey was something some saw as risky. Still, now it has become the new norm, as you look at last year’s draft, where Gavin McKenna went first overall after playing at Penn State, and Keaton Verhoeff went ninth overall after making the move from Victoria to North Dakota.
Celebrini’s college experience is what helped shape him into the player he is today, and he is now the third active NCAA alumnus captain in the NHL.
What this shows is that college hockey is preparing players for the pros extremely fast, and not just on the ice, but as leaders. Proving so with Celebrini, who is now the youngest captain in San Jose Sharks history.
This is more than just a great young player who was in the NCAA and is now a captain; it’s the start of a potential pattern. Being in a college locker room with much older players can develop a player's leadership traits in a whole different way, even if it’s only for one season.
They’re in a lifestyle where they have to manage their time, commit to things outside of the rink, and still perform on game day.
It’s a high-pressure environment that can develop the person, before the player.
