Macklin Celebrini has already solidified his place among the NHL's most electrifying young stars. Still, the league's official postseason award announcements on June 12 left the San Jose Sharks center on the outside looking in.

Despite an extraordinary sophomore campaign where he scored 45 goals, 70 assists, and 115 points across 82 games, Celebrini was omitted from both the First and Second NHL All-Star Teams. NHL reporter Max Miller revealed the reason why Celebrini missed out on All-Star selection.

"When voting, players are voted by position, meaning Celebrini had to beat McDavid and MacKinnon. He finished third in center voting," Miller tweeted.

NHL All-Star Team voting is usually done with respect to the positions. This left Celebrini in third as the voters could select only two centers.

Celebrini finished third behind both Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon. 

McDavid led the league with 138 points and earned his sixth First All-Star Team title at center.

Meantime, MacKinnon, who topped the list with 53 goals, finished right behind McDavid to capture his third career Second All-Star Team selection.

As there were only two spots available, Celebrini faced the most difficult position drawn on the list.

Celebrini was clearly next in line and easily would’ve made it to the top if his numbers were slightly stronger. This shows that the quality of your season doesn’t matter when the top two positions set extraordinary standards.

Why Celebrini's Season Still Matters

Despite missing out on individual accolades, Celebrini has earned immense respect from teammates and opponents alike.

San Jose Sharks' head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, described his center's competitive nature as something that sets him apart from the elite players.  

Missing out on awards is nothing new for the 19-year-old, Macklin Celebrini.

He suffered a hip injury early in his rookie campaign last season. That injury kept him out of the lineup almost immediately after his NHL debut. It eventually disrupted him from making a full first-year run. 

He played 70 games in that season and scored 25 goals, but the injury setback set him out of the Calder Trophy voting, where Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson ultimately got the award. 

Even in this season, Celebrini led the Sharks in making strong numbers, supporting them with offense to finish with 39-35-8.

He was the primary reason the Sharks remained competitive throughout the season.

Missing the All-Star Teams and individual awards does not erase all the records and reputation he has built till now. Macklin Celebrini has already scored 115 points in a single season and is still on his journey to establish himself as the core of the San Jose Sharks. 

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Koushik Biswas