Before Macklin Celebrini became one of the National Hockey League (NHL)’s most electric young phenoms, he was a kid running up a hill.
Not a metaphorical hill—an actual one.
At the end of workouts in their North Vancouver neighbourhood, Celebrini and his brother Aiden would finish with a routine: Sprint up the hill near their house, jog back down, repeat. Five minutes was normal. 10 minutes was the limit. But one day, 10 became 12. 12 became 15, then 20.
This was not about cardio. It was about mindset.
Celebrini’s father, Rick, is known for having a favourite phrase: “One more.” One more rep. One more drill. One more time up the hill. The family learned quickly that asking when a workout would end was a great way to keep it going.
It sounds intense—and it was—but it says everything about who Macklin Celebrini is now: A teenager who plays professional hockey like he’s already been through every trial you could imagine.
Celebrini’s upbringing was deliberate. His family’s world revolved around training, recovery, and the small details that make elite athletes different. Rick Celebrini is a highly respected athletic trainer who now works as the Vice President of Player Health and Performance for the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Golden State Warriors. Macklin’s mother, Robyn, captained her university soccer team. Aiden was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and played with Macklin at Boston University. His sister, Charlize, plays competitive tennis.
When people ask why Macklin Celebrini looks so calm—why the moment never seems to overwhelm him—the answer might be simple: He was raised to outlast discomfort. The hill that others may have seen as punishment, Celebrini saw as a tool to build discipline.
That tenacity now shows up every night on NHL ice.
Celebrini is 19, but he plays with the composure of someone far older. Hockey moves fast, and for most young players, the NHL looks like chaos: Bodies flying, passes missed, mistakes punished instantly. Celebrini slows the game down when things get frantic, speeds it up when defenders hesitate, and makes the simple play at exactly the right time.
It also helps explain his jaw-dropping numbers. In his second NHL season, Celebrini has already become the essence of the San Jose Sharks’ offence. Earlier this month, he factored into 50.8 per cent of his team’s goals, meaning he either scores the goal himself or assists it more than half the time. That rate is the highest ever recorded by a teenager in NHL history. For context, it is even higher than what Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby produced at the same age—two players who eventually became faces of the sport.
The Sharks need him, too. Celebrini has become “hockey’s ultimate one-man show,” carrying an otherwise underwhelming team into an unexpected playoff spot.
He plays both offence and defence. He wins loose puck battles. If he loses possession, he does not give up; he fights to get it back. His relentless work ethic is what separates flashy talent from true greatness. Coaches have described him as someone with the skill, intelligence, and drive to become an elite two-way centre, and even a future captain.
His rise also feels bigger than statistics because it is happening in real time. Celebrini is not just having a strong sophomore campaign—he is changing the direction of a franchise. As the Sharks’ number-one overall draft pick in 2024, he was expected to be their future. He became their present almost immediately.
Now, with Hockey Canada’s Olympic program calling, Celebrini’s story is ready for its biggest stage yet in Milano-Cortina. The next chapter will bring brighter lights and tougher competition, but if the hill taught him anything, it is that difficult moments on the ice are not something to fear. They are something to chase.
The points and accolades speak for themselves. But Macklin Celebrini’s habits—his routines, his discipline, and his calmness—speak louder.
