Felicia Keller
He may be one of the rising stars of the NHL, and his dad may work for an NBA team, but Macklin Celebrini’s life has always been shaped by soccer.
His parents met when they were both playing soccer at the University of British Columbia, and Macklin and his siblings all grew up surrounded by The Beautiful Game.
“Growing up playing soccer probably helped with some footwork and agility,” Macklin said to Yahoo Sports. “Mostly, it’s the vision. Soccer is a bit slower in some parts, but there’s a lot more thinking that goes into it and it’s more like chess. You gotta think three steps ahead and that’s helped me in hockey.”
So now, with World Cup games in Vancouver, Macklin attended games, and he hosted a soccer camp with AirBNB on Jul. 2.
He spoke with Yahoo Canada about the influence soccer has had on him, seeing Canada host its first Men’s World Cup, and more.
At San Jose Hockey Now…
Macklin Celebrini was named the 2025-26 IIHF Male Player of the Year.
Max Heise has been developing quickly since he was drafted in 2025.
Joe Will is happy with the San Jose Barracuda team that he has built.
Other Sharks News…
The Sharks purchased a Google-owned office building across the street from SAP Center to become their new downtown headquarters.
It appears that Macklin Celebrini will be NHL 27 cover athlete:
Richard Gallant was mic’d up during the Prospect Scrimmage.
Kiefer Sherwood spoke about his transition to the Sharks.
How did Joe Pavelski fare at the American Century Championship? Also, Matt Boldy flexed at the tourney.
The Barracuda signed Thomas Messineo to a one-year contract.
Around Hockey…
The Director of USA Ball Hockey recorded a video mocking USA’s Women’s World Championship Gold Medal winners.
New York Islanders fans crashed the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup party.
The PWHL has missed out on opportunities to honor women’s hockey history.
Training tips from NHL and PWHL performance coaches.
Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers will miss Sergei Bobrovsky.
3ICE is back!
Eight AHL head coaches who have been promoted to the NHL this offseason.
The five best contracts signed in this year’s free agency.