Best NHL Sophomore Seasons: Where Does Celebrini Rank?

Names like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby come to mind whenever I’m asked which players are the greatest in NHL history. 

Thanks to enjoying one of the best sophomore seasons in decades, Macklin Celebrini is already being compared to those demi-god-like legends whose names will forever be etched in NHL lore. 

But which players had the best seasons in their second year, and where does Celebrini rank?

Best NHL Seasons for Second-Year Players

Gretzky notched 164 points in his sophomore season, 23 more than second-place Lemieux. The Great One won the Art Ross and Hart Trophy, accomplishments that Crosby and Connor McDavid also achieved.

Crosby, who holds the record for most point-per-game seasons, had the best sophomore season in the last 40 years, scoring 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists) in 2006-07. 

Only five other players (Kirill Kaprizov, Celebrini, Evgeni Malkin, McDavid, and Eric Staal) scored at least 100 points since the turn of the millennium. 

McDavid finished his 2016-17 sophomore season with 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games. 

Peter Forsberg is the only player among the top 15 to win a Stanley Cup in his second season, with the Colorado Avalanche taking the ultimate prize in 1995-96. 

Where Does Macklin Celebrini’s Sophomore Season Rank?

Celebrini’s Hart Trophy odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook were among the shortest throughout the campaign, showcasing how well his sophomore season went.

The teenage phenom finished with 115 points in 82 games, setting the record for most points in the Sharks’ franchise history, surpassing Joe Thornton’s 114. 

He finished the 2025-26 season with the second-most points of any second-year player in the last 40 years. Only Crosby enjoyed a more prolific sophomore campaign. 

Celebrini scored the 15th-most goals (45), tied for the eighth-most assists (70) with McDavid, tied for the 11th-most power-play assists (25) with McDavid, and the 10th-most game-winning goals (five), tied with Malkin and Kaprizov.

How Many Players With Best Sophomore Seasons Won Calder Trophy? 

Kaprizov’s 107-point sophomore season in 2021-22, the 13th-best all-time, came on the back of winning the Calder Trophy.

Malkin is the only other player since 2000 to win the Calder Trophy and eclipse the 100-point barrier in his sophomore season. The Penguins’ legend had 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) in his second season, tied for the 17th-most all-time, after amassing 85 in his rookie campaign.  

While Crosby didn’t win rookie of the year in 2005-06, there was almost nothing to choose between his hockey odds and Calder Trophy winner, Alex Ovechkin’s. 

Speaking of Ovechkin, his first year as a pro ranks among the five best NHL rookie seasons. 

Who Had the Best First Two Seasons Before 2000? 

Forsberg assembled a special first two seasons before the turn of the millennium, with the Avs’ legend winning the Calder Trophy in 1995, which he followed up with a 116-point sophomore season, ranking eighth. 

Peter Stastny deserves recognition for how his NHL career started, as he secured the Calder Trophy after posting a 109-point rookie season. He followed that up with a 139-point sophomore campaign, the third-best.

Stastny’s one-two punch was similar to Lemieux, who followed a 100-point rookie campaign with the second-most points in a sophomore season (141). 

Gretzky would, of course, take the plaudits for the best first-second season combo had he been eligible to win the Calder Trophy. 

Who Scored the Most Points in Sophomore Season? 

Gretzky scored the most points in a sophomore season (164).

Who Scored the Most Goals in Sophomore Season? 

Mike Bossy scored the most goals of any second-year player, netting 69 for the New York Islanders in 1978-79.