SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks made Macklin Celebrini the NHL’s highest-paid player Wednesday, signing the star centre to a five-year contract extension worth US$18.8 million a season. The 20-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., surpassed the US$18 million average annual value in Leo Carlsson’s five-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks — from a signed offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers — earlier this month. Celebrini finished fourth in NHL scoring last season with 115 points -- 45 goals and 70 assists -- helping the Sharks post one of the biggest single-season improvements in franchise history. The six-foot, 190-pound forward led San Jose in nearly every offensive category, factoring into 46.2 per cent of the team’s goals as the upstart Sharks finished four points outside the playoff picture. Celebrini finished 56 points ahead of the team’s next-closest scorer, Will Smith, marking the widest gap between the top two scorers on an NHL team since 1990-91. “I couldn’t be happier to sign an extension today,” Celebrini said in a statement. “The faith and support that (owner Hasso) 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.” Celebrini also became just the second teenager in NHL history, after Wayne Gretzky, to record at least 40 goals and 70 assists in a season. He finished fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has 178 points (70 goals, 108 assists) in 152 career games over two NHL seasons. Celebrini also represented Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, finishing as the tournament’s top goal-scorer en route to a silver medal. He then captained the nation at the world championship last spring, earning IIHF Male Player of the Year honours. “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 said in a statement. “We are extremely excited to have him secured and committed as the centrepiece of a core of talented players in San Jose.” The Sharks boast a talented group of young players around Celebrini, including Smith, 2025 second overall pick Michael Misa and 2026 second overall pick Ivar Stenberg. San Jose also added several veterans over the off-season, acquiring defencemen Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring in trades while signing defenceman Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment in free agency. The Sharks haven’t made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2026.
