Macklin Celebrini, 19-year-old Olympian, Catapults the Sharks Into the Spotlight

After his first practice with the San José Sharks since the Winter Olympics ended, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini seemed taken aback by the number of cameras there to watch him play.

“This is the most media we have ever had. Ever,” he said Wednesday afternoon with a slight smile and a cut on his cheek from the international games still apparent. “It’s starting to feel like a Canadian market.”

The teenage hockey player has become a breakout star for his impressive run in Milan, and his performance has made the Bay Area hyped for his return to the Sharks.

According to the team’s chief marketing officer, Doug Bentz, individual game ticket sales for the Sharks are up 56% over last year, and Celebrini’s Team Canada jerseys sold out in less than an hour. Four of the six home games after the Olympics are almost or already sold out.

“I would tell people, ‘If you want to come see Macklin live, get tickets as soon as possible,’” Bentz said.

Along with being one of the youngest players in men’s ice hockey on the global stage, Celebrini led the Olympic tournament with five goals in six games and a surprisingly large amount of playing time.

Celebrini even had American fans rooting for him.

“He was amazing. He was playing like crazy out there,” said J’lah Johnson of Modesto, a fan of both men’s and women’s ice hockey. “I’m Canadian at heart for Celebrini!”

While the Sharks lost their first game after the Olympics on Thursday night, the excitement around Celebrini has fans starting to rank him among the Bay’s notable stars like the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and fellow Olympians Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu.

“I hope that energy [from Milan] still translates for us back home,” Johnson said. “Prior to the Olympics, none of my friends could name a player. But a few of them have asked me — since they know I’m really into it — ‘Oh, do you know Celebrini?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, here we go.’”

New attention

According to Bentz, Celebrini has “exploded both locally and outside of the market.”

“If you look over basically one year, the average daily mentions for Macklin versus his average during the Olympics” saw about a 420% increase in articles and social media posts, Bentz said. The Sharks’ own social media engagement went up as well, despite not posting as much during the Olympics.

Devoted Sharks fans seemed shocked by the newfound attention and by the fact that Sharks in-jokes have “breached containment.” A major example: A team-sponsored fundraiser where fellow player Will Smith seemingly volunteered Celebrini for an “elevated cupcake experience” at a San José bakery right after Canada’s loss to the U.S. in the gold medal game has become a meme-worthy moment, with posts about it attracting over 259,000 likes on TikTok.

New fans

Hockey has seen an uptick of interest among the American mainstream audience, especially after the success of the television series Heated Rivalry, the Olympics and gold from both U.S. men’s and women’s teams.

However, the American men’s ice hockey team is also facing some backlash after players celebrated their win with FBI Director Kash Patel and laughed at a comment made by President Donald Trump that slighted the women’s team.

When thinking about new fans who are just getting into hockey, Johnson said that “this is still one of the most conservative sports and has not always been super open.”

She recommended that fans “find your community within the community,” and noted that there is a growing number of LGBTQ+ fans and fans of color, “so our voices are a little bit more heard, whether it’s on social media or in person.”

Old and new fans alike are waiting to see if the Sharks, with their talented young roster, have what it takes to make it to the playoffs this year — something they haven’t done since 2019.

The anticipation has also added pressure on the teen player, which made some fans worried for him.

For his part, Celebrini said on Wednesday he is “excited to start playing again” with the Sharks and bring the mindset he’s learned from some of the best players at the Olympics to San José.

He’ll be hoping for a turnaround after Canada’s silver-medal finish, a feeling that he said will stick with him forever.

“A lot of those guys I looked up to my whole childhood, and it was an honor to play with them and be around them every single day,” the Vancouver-born athlete said. “But it sucks. It’s a little sour that you look back at it and just didn’t get the job done.”