Sharks' Macklin Celebrini poised to make Olympic history after earning Team Canada roster spot appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Tem Canada hockey Olympic rosters have been released. After speculation he would the roster, Macklin Celebrini is officially a part of Team Canada . This is a monumental moment for the young forward, and he also made some history in the process.
Celebrini will be the youngest-ever men's Olympian for Canada in an Olympic tournament that features NHL players, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN. The move to place him on the roster was not shocking after the recent play of Celebrini. He is in his second season in the NHL and has found the back of the net 21 times this year, which is good for the eighth most in the NHL. Further, he is tied for second in the league with 39 helpers. That gives him a total of 60 points, which is third in the league.
While Celebrini's teammates on the Sharks recently stumped for him , the addition of the forward to the roster was determined well before the campaign by teammates. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong noted that Celebrini had already played his way onto the roster by early December, according to reporting from Johnston.
The Sharks' forward was not part of the 4 Nations Face-Off team from last year, meaning he took a spot from another player. Five players who were on the 4 Nations roster, which won the tournament, will not be playing in the Olympics. Two of them were goaltenders, as Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault did not make the roster. Meanwhile, Sam Bennett, Travis Konecny , and Seth Jarvis will not be playing in the Olympics.
It was possible that Celebrini would be joined by other young players. Connor Bedard , who is just 20 years old, was also considered for the roster but did not make the team. Meanwhile, he almost did not make history, as 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer was also considered by the team.
"I was shocked at how quickly he worked his way into our conversations, and that's a credit to him," Doug Armstrong said of Schaefer, according to Johnston.
Celebrini and Team Canada will take the ice for the first time on February 11, with their eyes on the gold medal. Until then, Celebrini will focus on his NHL team. The Sharks are 19-17-3 , which places them tied for fourth in the Pacific Division and in playoff position.
Related: Sharks' Macklin Celebrini has made Team Canada's Olympic team, per report
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