Vancouver, British Columbia is the birthplace of some of hockey’s most famous players. It was the home of guys like Joe Sakic, Glenn Anderson, and Paul Kariya. Vancouver was also the birthplace of the biggest stars of the next generation of the National Hockey League (NHL): Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini.
Bedard was born on Jul. 17, 2005 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He began playing at age four at the North Shore Winter Club and devoted his life to intense training and climbing of the ladder. Bedard played for the Vancouver Vipers roughly between 2015 and 2019, an elite AAA hockey development program in BC. He later starred in the famous Brick Invitational tournament, which is a highly prestigious tournament for elite U1o prospects across North America.
Bedard then aged up to the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), playing with the West Vancouver Academy Prep, where he led scoring in the U15 and U18 categories and was named MVP twice before being drafted 1st overall by the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2020 draft. Due to his undeniable finesse, he was the first player in WHL history to be granted “exceptional status” and play full-time at age 15.
Bedard emerged in the public sphere as an elite prospect as early as 2018. When he was only 13 years old, he was featured by The Hockey News as “The Future of Hockey”. When Bedard was around 15 or 16, in 2021 he participated in the U18 World Championship, representing Team Canada, and led his team to gold. By the time he was 16, he was already speculated to be number one overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft, when he would be eligible.
Rumor was correct, as Bedard was selected 1st overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL draft. Bedard has remained with the Blackhawks since then, and his first season was a resounding success, Bedard having won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. However, his sophomore season had critics seething, thinking that maybe Bedard was not the right choice for Chicago. On the other hand, another shining star entered the NHL this year (2024-2025) who is worth mentioning: Macklin Celebrini.
Celebrini was born on Jun. 13, 2006 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He began playing at around age three, skating and shooting like most aspirational hockey players do. He also began playing for the North Shore Winter Club, rising through the ranks, proving he may have a bright future in the game. Much like Bedard, Celebrini played for the Vancouver Vipers and he played in the Brick Invitational as a representative of Team British Columbia (BC Junior Canucks).
At age 12, Celebrini’s father, Rick Celebrini, was hired as the director of sports medicine and performance for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Golden State Warriors, which meant a move to the Bay for the Celebrini family. Celebrini landed a spot with the San Jose Sharks’ AAA program, alongside his older brother, Aiden. After Macklin’s unheard of 94-point season in 2019-20 with San Jose, he and his brother moved up the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s (SSM) in MN, a world-renowned hockey preparatory school that produces top college and NHL players.
After two years at SSM, where Celebrini put up 50 goals and 67 assists for 117 points in 52 games, he was invited to represent Team Canada at the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. As a 16-year old, Celebrini put up one goal and two assists in four games, and was invited to play for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
At only 17 years of age, Celebrini left for Boston University in MA where he played as a freshman in the 2023-24 season. During his short stint at BU, Celebrini put up 32 goals and 64 points in only 38 games. He became the youngest player in NCAA history to win the Hobey Baker Award.
It was obvious to the NHL that Celebrini was among the top prospects for the 2024 draft. That year, the San Jose Sharks had the 1st overall pick, and Celebrini was their #1 pick. His rookie season was successful, regardless of his 12-game delay due to injury. He scored his first goal in his second ever NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks and had 15 multi-point games.
Celebrini’s sophomore season has been just as promising, if not more so, than his rookie year. He’s already reached 20 multi-point games only half way through the regular season and even has a 5-point game on record. He leads the Sharks in scoring with 81 points and is 4th in the NHL at only 19 years old. He achieved a 13-game point streak, which ties him in second with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for longest point streak by a teenager in NHL history.
Celebrini is in elite company, mentioned in the same breath as Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky, two NHL legends. Celebrini is joining Crosby and MacKinnon, along with Connor McDavid from Edmonton, at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina to represent their home country of Canada. Bedard was expected to join the group but has been left off the roster. He did suffer an injury this season, but Team Canada General Manager Doug Armstron said that it didn’t impact the final decision much.
“His name was right there until the last second,” said Armstrong. “But I think the reality is, there are so many good players and we just had difficult decisions to make.”
Bedard and Celebrini recently faced-off with their respective NHL teams, and it was the talk of the town. The two have stated that they are good friends and even trained together in the off-season. They don’t compare themselves to each other, even if they’re pitted against each other. Bedard and the Blackhawks won the tilt 6-3, Bedard being responsible for one of the six Chicago goals, but Celebrini won the scoring race with one goal and two assists.
