Celebrini Is the 11th Captain in Sharks History. He's Also 20.

San Jose named Macklin Celebrini captain on Thursday, making him the 11th captain in franchise history. The organization didn't bury the lede on this one — it's a deliberate, public statement about who this team belongs to and for how long.

The timing is worth noting. The Sharks locked Celebrini into a five-year, $94 million extension this offseason, brought in Jacob Trouba, Michael Kesselring, and Darnell Nurse to build a defense around him, and now have handed him the C before he's played a game past his age-20 season. Last year he put up 73 points in 48 games and was the clear best player on the roster. The captaincy follows logically from all of that, even if the age still gives you a moment's pause.

It's a real ask. The veteran core around him — Toffoli, Wennberg, Orlov — are capable players, but none of them are the face of a rebuild. Warsofsky, now extended himself, will carry some of that leadership load from the bench. Still, the room will look to Celebrini, and the room is young and still finding itself. The Sharks opened the preseason getting blown out by Anaheim, and the defensive additions haven't looked seamless yet.

None of that changes the decision, and the decision is probably right. You give the C to your best player when your best player is ready to carry it. San Jose is betting he is.