Sharks Star Could Make Olympic Roster Over Blackhawks' Connor Bedard

In sports, there’s an old saying that year two can humble even the brightest rookies. The so-called "sophomore slump" has followed enough players through enough seasons that it’s become part warning, part cliché.

But every now and then, a young star comes along who treats that storyline like background noise. San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini has taken the expectation of regression and turned it into a springboard toward becoming a potential legend on the international stage at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Macklin Celebrini’s Breakout Sophmore Season

Now in his second NHL season, Celebrini isn’t just avoiding a slump — he’s rewriting the idea entirely. He and Connor Bedard are chasing down Nathan MacKinnon in the scoring race, trading spots near the top of the leaderboard as if competing in their own private duel.

Celebrini recently reached the 100-game mark, and the numbers paint the picture of a generational talent: 40 goals, 66 assists, three hat tricks, and seventh all-time in points through 100 games among teenagers. At just 19 years and 169 days, he became the eighth-youngest player in league history to reach 100 points, a milestone previously achieved by Sidney Crosby, Dale Hawerchuk, Wayne Gretzky, Ted Kennedy, Brian Bellows, Jimmy Carson and Pierre Turgeon.

Macklin Celebrini (39-61—100 in 96 GP) recorded his 100th career point and became the eighth-youngest player in NHL history to reach the milestone. #NHLStats

Tune in : 🌎: https://t.co/dT34F4MhkC pic.twitter.com/f3oGWSfcnN
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) November 30, 2025

2026 Winter Olympics: Team Canada Roster Battle

For Hockey Canada, the timing couldn’t be better. With the 2026 Olympic Games approaching — and with controversies over rink dimensions and construction delays lingering in the background — the focus has shifted to something far more gripping: who will earn a coveted spot on Team Canada’s roster.

Six names are already locked in: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, Sidney Crosby and Cale Makar. That leaves 19 spots for what will likely be the most competitive national team selection process in decades.

Introducing Canada's six preliminary players for the #MilanoCortina #Olympics! pic.twitter.com/p5lD2SlORj
— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2025

Why Celebrini Could Edge Out Connor Bedard

That competition has centered on two players in particular: Bedard and Celebrini. Both sit in the top four of NHL scoring and have spent most of the season in each other’s shadows, pushing, pulling, and elevating one another’s games. Insiders are taking notice.

Nick Kypreos has said that Celebrini is getting “serious consideration” from Hockey Canada, even noting that the Sharks’ star presently holds “a significant leg up” on Bedard. Darren Dreger has echoed the sentiment multiple times across different shows — stating that he believes Celebrini makes the team, and Bedard does not. Dreger recently stated that while the fascination with Bedard is understandable, he hasn’t quite done enough yet to secure a comfortable position in the selection race.

Darren Dreger: Re Team Canada: I think everybody's just fascinated by, has Connor Bedard done enough to put himself in a healthy position to make the team? I don't think he has, I don't - Nielson Show (12/8)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) December 10, 2025

The reasoning isn’t hard to see. Celebrini plays a more rounded, complete game at this stage, contributing in all three zones without sacrificing offensive flair. And while both players weigh roughly the same, Celebrini carries an extra two inches of height — a small but meaningful edge in international play, where size, tempo, and versatility matter even more.

As the Olympics draw closer, the debate will only intensify. It’s unlikely that both make the final roster, and every point, every shift, every headline seems to tilt the scales back and forth. But whether it’s Bedard in Chicago or Celebrini in San Jose, watching two teenagers drag their franchises forward while battling for a place on hockey’s most stacked team is the kind of storyline the sport lives for.

And no matter which one earns that plane ticket, Canada will be loaded either way.

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