Despite not picking up a medal with Team Canada, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini earned some individual recognition at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. Celebrini finished the tournament with the second most points of the event, trailing just Switzerland forward Sven Andrighetto who had 15 points in 10 games. Celebrini's six goals also saw him finish third in goal scoring, trailing just former San Jose Sharks forward Rudolfs Balcers and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Noah Steen who each lit the lamp seven times for their respective nation. Due to his individual performance, Celebrini was named the Best Forward of the tournament by the IIHF and was also named to the Media All-Star Team. Celebrini nearly captained Canada to their first media at the World Championship since 2023, but they were denied by an overtime goal by the aforementioned Steen during the bronze medal game. Next year, Celebrini and Canada will look to prevent it from becoming four straight years without a medal for the Canadians, assuming Celebrini isn't in the middle of a playoff run with the Sharks, that is.
