The torch isn’t officially leaving Sidney Crosby’s hands yet, but Team Canada’s next superstar is already skating directly into the spotlight. Even at 38, Crosby remains the heartbeat of Canada’s program, yet much of the buzz surrounding 2026’s international tournaments centers around a teenager fast becoming hockey’s next obsession.
As the USA-Canada rivalry intensified across multiple stages this season, Ottawa Senators captain and USA forward Brady Tkachuk openly recognized the rise of a new Canadian phenom that American players are already being forced to game-plan around.
That attention now follows San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini everywhere he goes. From NHL arenas to the World Championship stage in Switzerland, the 19-year-old has rapidly drawn “Sidney Crosby 2.0” comparisons from players, coaches, and analysts, especially after sharing a line with Crosby himself for Team Canada.
Brady Tkachuk Calls Macklin Celebrini Team Canada’s Sidney Crosby 2.0
Celebrini’s rise inside Hockey Canada’s setup reached another level during the World Championship when he was initially named captain before Crosby joined the roster. Rather than reclaiming the captaincy himself, Crosby encouraged the young forward to keep the “C” while he accepted an alternate captain role.
That leadership moment became a major topic during a recent episode of Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. The brothers discussed how unusual it felt seeing Crosby without the captaincy attached to his jersey after nearly 6,000 days.
Brady reacted to the statistic by saying, “That’s a crazy stat.” Moments later, the conversation shifted toward Celebrini becoming the next major face of Team Canada.
Matthew Tkachuk explained that Celebrini and Crosby share many similarities in both personality and playing style. “I think everybody that remembers Sid when he was young, Sid and Celebrini are very, very much alike,” Matthew Tkachuk noted.
“This is probably the first time he’s realizing, though, like, wow, they’re molding me as the next Sid.”
Brady then took the comparison even further. “It’s not quite changing of the guard because Sid’s still Sid, but it’s just like, holy cow, this kid is going to be 2.0 for the next 20 years,” Brady Tkachuk said.
“How great is that for the game of hockey and the NHL? It says a lot about him and his character, about being a young kid that his peers, coaches, and everybody look at him as a captain. It’s pretty awesome.”
The praise reflects how quickly Celebrini has established himself as one of hockey’s elite young stars. During his sophomore NHL season with San Jose, the 19-year-old produced 115 points and finished as a Ted Lindsay Award finalist. His offensive creativity, puck protection, and ability to control pace through the middle of the ice have consistently drawn comparisons to Crosby’s early years in Pittsburgh.
The Sharks sensation played a starring role at the Winter Olympics, skating alongside Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon in a line that came to be known as “Mac 3/Mac Attack.”
This month, Team Canada opened the World Championship with a 3-0 record, while Celebrini and Crosby immediately developed chemistry on the top line together. Celebrini scored twice against Italy, and Crosby later produced a four-assist performance against Denmark as Canada rolled through group play.
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Still, even from the opposing side, the respect for Celebrini’s trajectory remains obvious. Canada may still belong to Crosby in the present, but many around the sport already believe Celebrini is positioning himself to lead the next era.
