San Jose Sharks youngster Macklin Celebrini is having a sophomore season for the ages. How has his campaign so far compared to the sophomore seasons of the all-time NHL greats?
Macklin Celebrini is already living up to his lofty potential, showcasing his otherworldly talent while reassuring the San Jose Sharks that he is on the right path to becoming one of the all-time greats.
Celebrini’s second season has been nothing short of gobsmacking. The 19-year-old is playing at such an elite level that he recently leapfrogged Connor McDavid as the player with the second-shortest odds to win the Hart Trophy on BetMGM.
So, how does his sophomore season stack up against the all-time greats?
The Great One Enjoyed Greatest Sophomore Season
Absurd comes to mind when sifting through Wayne Gretzky’s novella of accomplishments. His 1980-81 sophomore season was good enough to have its own chapter.
Gretzky amassed 164 points (55 goals and 109 assists) in 80 games, scoring at a 2.05 points-per-game clip and finishing 29 points ahead of second-place Marcel Dionne.
He is the only player of this all-time great list to not only smash through the 50-goal barrier, but also eclipse the 100-assist mark.
The then-20-year-old Gretzky won the Hart Trophy, his second MVP in as many seasons to start his lionized career.
That was just the start of his eight successive MVP triumphs. People refer to unbreakable records in sport all the time, and while some are proven wrong, his MVP streak should be forever safe.
Mario Lemieux Earned Magnificent One Nickname Quickly
It didn’t take long for people to start referring to Mario Lemieux as the Magnificent One. In his second season, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ imperious franchise savior scored 141 points (48 goals and 93 assists) in 79 games, averaging 1.78 points per game in the 1985-86 season.
Had it not been for Gretzky’s record-setting 215-point campaign, Lemieux probably would have won the Hart Trophy.
Lemieux scored 31 even-strength goals and amassed 66 power-play points, 17 of which were goals. However, the then-20-year-old was unable to steer the Penguins to the playoffs, the most challenging feat of them all.
Sid The Kid’s Sensational Sophomore Season
Lemieux isn’t the only Penguins’ franchise savior on this exclusive list.
Sidney Crosby fell short of the eminent heights Gretzky and Lemieux hit, but his sophomore season culminated in becoming only the second player in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy as a teenager, joining Gretzky’s one-man club.
Crosby finished the 2006-07 season with 120 points (36 goals and 84 assists) in 79 games, scoring 1.52 points per game.
He added to his trophy haul by winning the Art Ross, with the Pens’ then-19-year-old securing six more points than runner-up Joe Thornton.
Connor McDavid Made A Statement In Edmonton
Even by elite standards, McDavid enjoyed a superb sophomore season. He scored 100 points (30 goals and 70 assists) at a 1.22 point-per-game clip and finished 11 points ahead of Crosby and Patrick Kane to win the Art Ross.
However, statistically speaking, McDavid’s second season in the NHL was the most disappointing of these all-time greats.
While disappointing isn’t a word you often hear associated with McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain has more than made up for it with his third-best points-per-game clip (1.56) in the post-season, trailing only Lemieux (1.61) and Gretzky (1.84).
Macklin Celebrini (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)Macklin Celebrini Rubbing Shoulders With The World’s Best
With 72 points (24 goals and 48 assists) in 47 games, Celebrini is third in scoring, trailing Hart Trophy favorite Nathan MacKinnon (82 points) and McDavid (83 points).
His 1.53 points per game rank fourth, behind only the aforementioned megastars and Nikita Kucherov.
Celebrini is on pace for 42 goals, 84 assists, and 126 points.
His +400 Hart Trophy odds represent a 20 percent implied probability of becoming just the third teenager in NHL history (Crosby and Gretzky) to win MVP.
If Celebrini continues on his current trajectory, he’ll finish with a better sophomore season than McDavid and Crosby, 26 points better off than the former and six more than the latter. Now, imagine what it would look like with an Olympic gold medal dangling around his neck.
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