Macklin Celebrini’s historic sophomore season has earned him a historic contract extension.
Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks have agreed to a five-year, $94-million contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.
Celebrini had one year remaining on his three-year, $2.925-million entry-level contract before signing the deal that keeps him locked up with the Sharks through the 2031-32 season.
The $18.8-million average annual value of the deal that Celebrini reached with general manager Mike Grier and owner Hasso Plattner is the richest in NHL history, topping the $18 million a year Leo Carlsson got when Anaheim matched a five-year offer sheet from Philadelphia.
"In just two seasons as a teenager in the National Hockey League and on the International stage, Macklin has established himself as one of the premier players in the world,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier wrote in a statement released by the team. “We are extremely excited to have him secured and committed as the centrepiece of a core of talented players in San Jose. "
Celebrini, the first-overall pick in 2024, took the NHL by storm last season to become one of the biggest stars in the sport. In his age-19 season, Celebrini finished fourth in the league in both goals (45) and points (115), while scoring at a pace rarely seen from a teenager.
The 20-year-old's 115 points also set a Sharks franchise record for a single season, one more than the 114 that Hall of Famer Joe Thornton collected in 2007.
His point total ranked as the third-highest by a teenager in a single NHL season, behind only Sidney Crosby's 120 points in 2005-06 and Wayne Gretzky's 137 in 1979-80. He also joined Crosby and Gretzky as the only teenagers in league history to finish among the top five in NHL scoring in a season.
Celebrini finished 56 points ahead of the team’s next-closest scorer, the widest gap for any NHL team’s top scorer to its second-ranked since 1990-91.
He had the 10th most points ever for a player who missed the playoffs, recording a point on 46.2 per cent of San Jose goals for the second-best rate in the league behind Connor McDavid (48.9 per cent) and the best ever for a teenager.
“I couldn’t be happier to sign an extension today,” Celebrini said in the same statement. “The faith and support that Mr. Plattner, Mike Grier and the entire staff have shown me throughout the past two seasons is proof that we are building something special here. My teammates and I are ready to take another step toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to this city and its incredible fans. I can’t wait to get going.”
On top of his success with the Sharks, Celebrini took home a silver medal while playing for Canada at the Olympics, scoring five goals in the tournament. He also captained Canada to a fourth-place finish at this summer’s world hockey championship.
Now with his extension in place, Celebrini will turn his attention to helping the Sharks reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
--with files from The Associated Press
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