Is Macklin Celebrini better than Connor Bedard?

Maybe the more important question is whether Celebrini is better than Seth Jarvis, Mark Stone or Travis Konecny?

The latter group is who the 19-year-old will ultimately have to beat out if he is going to earn a spot as Canada’s 13th forward heading into the 2026 Olympics.

As the youngest player invited to the orientation camp in Calgary this week, the fact that Celebrini is in a group that includes the best-of-the-best is pretty special. But now that he’s put himself on Canada’s radar, here comes the hard part: actually winning a spot on the team that will travel to Italy in February and challenge for gold.

In order for Celebrini to get there, he will have to build upon a rookie season that saw San Jose’s No. 1 overall pick score 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games. But he will also have to separate himself from a multi-talented group that includes not just the bubble players who won at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but several others who are all vying for the same spot.

“I think he’s an incredible player,” Crosby, who played on a line with Celebrini at the World Hockey Championship in the spring, told reporters on Wednesday. “His all-around game, at his age, is pretty impressive. He’s committed defensively. He competes hard. He’s got a pretty mature game for his age.

“I think having that experience at World’s can only help. I’m sure he built confidence from that. I know being on the ice with him and then seeing him day-to-day and what he puts into it, I’m sure that’s something that’s made him a better player right away. As the year went on last year, he got better and better. And that will be a big building block. He’s earned the right to be in the conversation.”

Celebrini was four years old when Crosby scored the “golden goal” at the 2010 Olympics. But he is also the same age that Drew Doughty was he beat out several veterans as a sophomore in 2010, working his way up from the seventh defensemen on the team to a mainstay.

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Maybe Celebrini, who finished third in rookie scoring last season, can do the same. If so, he'll probably need to beat out one of either Stone, Jarvis or Konecny, who played somewhat minor roles for Canada at the 4 Nations. He'll also have to show that he is a better option than Montreal's Nick Suzuki, Edmonton's Zach Hyman, Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele and several others who were being snubbed for a spot on the 4 Nations' roster.

“Everyone here, when they were a kid, they dreamed of that — playing for the Olympic team,” Celebrini told reporters. “To represent Canada at any tournament is pretty special. I’ve been fortunate enough to do that. But I think Olympics is even a little more special. It’s kind of the pinnacle.”