Macklin Celebrini is in the midst of one of the best NHL seasons ever produced by a teenager.
On Monday night, the 19-year-old notched the 100th point of his sophomore campaign, posting two goals and an assist in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. Reaching the milestone puts him in some very elite company.
What makes the individual achievement even more impressive is that Celebrini is dragging his team into the playoff hunt in the process. The San Jose Sharks finished dead last in the league in each of the past two seasons. Today, they sit just two points out of the final wild card spot, with a very real shot at snapping their six-year postseason drought thanks to the teenage phenom.
Celebrini’s incredible play has put him firmly in the conversation for the Hart Trophy. If his Sharks do make the playoffs, the case for the 19-year-old will only grow stronger.
Whether he wins or not, it’s undeniable Celebrini has cemented his status as an NHL superstar.
Let’s take a look at the numbers behind his historic season:
6 – The number of teenagers who have scored 100 points in a season. Celebrini joins the exclusive list alongside Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby (who did it twice), Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Jimmy Carson.
72 - The number of games it took Celebrini to reach 100 points. Only Gretzky (61 games in 1979-80) and Crosby (65 games in 2006-07) reached the milestone faster as teenagers.
115 - The number of points Celebrini is on pace for with 10 games remaining. That would be the third most scored by a teenager in an NHL season behind only – you guessed it – The Great One (137 points in 1979-80) and Sid the Kid (120 points in 2006-07).
46.3 – The percentage of Sharks’ goals the sophomore phenom has factored in on this season. That ranks second in the league behind only Connor McDavid (48.1 per cent). If Celebrini maintains the rate, it will be the highest percentage everrecorded by a teenager. Gretzky factored in on 45.5 per cent of goals for the Oilers in 1979-80, while Crosby had a hand in 44.9 per cent for the Penguins in 2006-07. Both Gretzky and Crosby won the Hart Trophy those seasons, the only teenagers in NHL history to win the award.
50 – The gap in points between Celebrini and his next closest teammate. Will Smith is second on the Sharks in scoring with 51 points in 59 games played.
164 – Cumulative points for Celebrini (so far) before turning 20, the sixth most in NHL history by a teenager.
2 – Celebrini’s plus/minus. This may not appear impressive since it’s tied for 261st in the league, but considering the Sharks have a minus-37 goal differential, that’s pretty darn good.
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