A hockey game falls in fast behind Connor McDavid, the air flow behind a slipstream, Canada’s fastest forward leading the pack and lifting those behind like the lead bird in a V-formation.
Defenders fall back before falling behind, a defensive code red that attracts every eyeball in the building, an advantage unto itself for a player with 360-degree vision.
If you’re his teammates, or especially his linemates, you’re among the few tasked with figuring out how to take advantage of the attention-gravity he creates, and ho-ly, did you see the move he just put on that guy?
A seam opened while you watched, then it closed, and now it’s too late.
To go with the justified superlatives heaped on Macklin Celebrini to date, I’ve rarely seen someone better prepared for those cracks in the structure, less awed by the greatness tornado being whipped up just a few feet from where he’s skating.
That’s because Celebrini has “it” too.
In Canada’s game against France, its final one of the preliminary round, they had a 4-1 lead in the second period, so the game was effectively decided. But enough pucks hadn’t yet gone in to accomplish Canada’s goal of running up the offence so they could clinch the No. 1 seed.
In a moment with under seven minutes left, McDavid is whirling around the offensive zone, and a Celebrini touch leads to a McDavid touch and cutback, which then leads to a net-front chance for Tom Wilson. Celebrini wins the puck back, and then he and McDavid find themselves on the same side of the ice.
Celebrini goes low, and McDavid clears out for him, then realizes the kid needs room to work, so McDavid heads to the net to try and find soft ice in hopes of getting open. McDavid works through the inside of the structure and back out the far side, finding a soft spot near the back door on the far post.
The second McDavid gets to that open spot the puck flashes through the triangle under his stick and beside his skates, gets past him and goes into the corner. Canada stays on offence like nothing happened…but something happened.
Here’s what Celebrini saw as an opportunity:
Celebrini had seen his path, seen the lane, threaded it between a defender’s legs, and had McDavid expected a puck in that spot at that time, he would’ve had a Grade A look. Canada’s top point-getter knew where he wanted to get to, he just didn’t expect anyone else to see it that early, or hit send on the pass before he ever got there. This was a quarterback throwing the quick slant before the receiver’s even had the chance to turn and look for the pass.
This is what makes Celebrini special. It’s his brain, his hockey IQ, his ability to read it like maybe a couple dozen players in the history of the sport.
In the quarterfinal game against Czechia, McDavid started off on a mission, and he stole the puck multiple times early on. One of those led to a rush with highlight reel potential, but as the Czechs desperately struggled to catch up, he used that all-world vision to find Celebrini, who knew where he needed to go for McDavid, and how to take advantage of what had been created. There was nothing special required from Celebrini on this play, just get to the right place, catch and release.
We spend a lot of time discussing offensive skills, but Celebrini’s comparables all but vanish when you bring in his play without the puck. That part of the game usually comes so much later for a skilled player, who are often given a lot of rope in junior and college to do whatever they want as long as they score at an elite clip. But with Celebrini, that dogged pursuit of getting the puck back so he can play on the fun side of the rink is a priority.
Watch most players forecheck, and you’ll notice they hustle in a puck race towards the wall right up until they’re about 15 feet out, then they coast and jockey for body position, they reach, and they get tangled up with the defender to begin a battle.
For Celebrini it’s like a swimmer making a final kick to touch the wall before the person in the lane beside them. He continues to move his feet, which wins him first touch by a hundredth of a second, which he deftly directs it somewhere he or a teammate can get to next. The he spins off that battle, and off they go again on offence.
Celebrini is third in the NHL in forecheck chances, a few ahead of McDavid, Sam Reinhart and Nathan MacKinnon, two behind Tage Thompson and Gabe Vilardi for first.
That’s what people are talking about when they heap praise on Celebrini as a “mini-Crosby.” It’s not just that they have similar builds – around six-feet tall with big lower frames – it’s the work ethic, and the use of the hockey IQ for defensive positioning.
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Great offensive players can defend if they would just flip the play in their mind, because they intuitively know where the dangerous areas of the ice are at all times. The problem is that most keep the switch toggled to offence, always wondering how the play could unfold in a way that puts them on a break. Celebrini, like Crosby, knows that with great power comes great responsibility, and he flips that switch to defending, or checking, or whatever the situation calls for.
I did some work on Celebrini with our pro scout, Jason Bukala, and he walked me through his progression over the years through Celebrini’s development. It’s crazy how much “competitor” came up in his scouting reports, rather than “great shot” (though he has a great shot) or “great feet” (though he has great feet). Buks noted that stuff too, but was awed by the work ethic.
I’ve cut out the stuff about Celebrini’s offensive talents here to highlight this point. This is from a scouting report at the 2023 U18 World Championships. Take it away, Mr. Bukala:
“…He pounces on pucks in small areas and escapes pressure to hit the rush with a full head of steam in transition. Celebrini is the kind of player who wants the puck on his stick every shift. He’s a difference maker who seems to have an impact every time he rolls over the boards. A proven scorer at the USHL level in Chicago and Team Canada’s best forward at this event. Could be first overall in 2024.”
“Could be first overall” may seem obvious now, but it’s never that easy so far ahead of his draft. Buks had this guy pegged in scouting reports as the top dog for years.
At the end of the 2024 season, these two notes from Bukala’s work stand out. One is that he again leads the whole thing talking about Celebrini’s drive:
“Celebrini is a relentless competitor who works the entire length of the ice. His elite element comes in the form of offence but he has the hockey IQ and determination to be trusted in a variety of roles.”
“Celebrini is a massive threat to produce offence every time he hits the ice. He’s very difficult to defend overall. He’s slippery in small areas and creative in open space. The San Jose Sharks are about to select a franchise-changing prospect when they step to the podium at Sphere in Las Vegas.”
I like the assessment of Celebrini being slippery, as his little cutbacks, his fake cutback-to-direct move, and the way he worms out of trouble are massive assets.
It’s year two of Celebrini’s NHL career, and he’s just 19 years old. He is not quite the best player in the NHL today, but he’s going to get Hart Trophy votes, particularly if the Sharks make the playoffs.
It’s impossible to say how any one player’s career is going to go, but we know we’re watching one of the greatest starts to an NHL (and now international) career ever, and the kid has the tools to be a star for two more decades, for up to five Olympic games.
With 81 points in 55 NHL games this season, and five goals in four Olympic hockey games, it’s crazy to say, but it feels like the best is yet to come.
