The future clearly is bright for the Sharks after their promising 2025-26 NHL season.
Despite missing the playoffs only by a margin of four points, San Jose quickly turned from rebuilding its franchise to contending in the Western Conference.
The main reason for the team’s success is the immediate rise of its No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Macklin Celebrini, who expressed his appreciation for Sharks fans and the city of San Jose.
“Dear Sharks fans,” Celebrini wrote on The Players’ Tribune. “First of all, I just want to say thank you. Not just for the way that you supported us this season, but also for the way that everyone had my back after the Olympics.
“It’s not easy losing the way we did in Italy, and it’s not easy missing out on the playoffs after being so close, but all the love and support I felt from Sharks fans all over the world has meant so much to me the past few months. You guys are the best. Before we head into the offseason, I just wanted to say a few things about this group, and about San Jose. And about the whole Bay Area, really.”
In his letter, Celebrini credited Sharks legend Joe Thornton for taking him under his wing and providing him with a place to stay.
The 19-year-old star also shared stories about moving to the Bay Area after his father, Rick, started working for the Warriors as their director of sports medicine and performance.
Celebrini mentioned seeing Golden State stars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in their prime helped him understand and appreciate what it takes to be a world-class athlete.
With his 45 goals and 70 assists during the 2025-26 season, Celebrini’s 115 points broke San Jose’s franchise record of 114 that Thornton set in 2007. Celebrini also helped lead the Sharks to a 39-35-8 record this season, which is a drastic improvement from San Jose’s 20-50-12 record the year before.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Celebrini added. “We know that. But I just want to thank you all again for having my back the past few months. All the comments and the support, it means so much.
“I hope I can pay you back with some playoff nights next season. We want the Shark Tank back. We want it rocking. I know we can make some more ‘Good Old Days.’ We [have to] make it happen. Otherwise, I’m [going to] be hearing from Joe.”
With Celebrini and other young players such as Will Smith and William Eklund continuing to develop their game and a few more pieces added to their roster during the upcoming offseason, the Sharks only should get better as a team and become a playoff contender once again in no time.