San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini scored a goal in the first period to help Canada to a 4-0 victory over the United States in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Championship in Freiburg, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Celebrini’s goal came with 1:29 left in the first game when he beat American goaltender Devin Cooley, a Los Gatos native and former Shark, on the glove side. In six games at the tournament, Celebrini, Canada’s captain, scored six goals and six assists.
Dylan Holloway scored in the second period and Connor Brown and Sidney Crosby had unanswered goals in the third period for Canada, which advanced to the semifinals against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
At last year’s World Cup, Canada, with Celebrini and Crosby on the team, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by tournament co-hosts Denmark.
Cooley finished the game with 26 saves for the eliminated United States, the defending tournament champions. Last year’s gold medal-winning American team had San Jose winger Will Smith in its forward group and was coached by Ryan Warsofsky, now entering his third season as the Sharks’ bench boss. Smith did not play for the U.S. team, coached by Don Granato, this year.
Sharks sign sense
The Sharks bolstered their organizational depth on defense, signing German blueliner Phillip Sinn to a two-year entry-level contract.
Sinn, 22, played primarily with EHC Munich in the German Ice Hockey League in Germany last season, scoring three points between 46 regular-season games and the playoffs. He also scored four points in seven games with ESV Kaufbeuren in the second-tier DEL.
Sinn, who is listed at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 194 pounds, played five games for Germany at this year’s World Cup and also represented his country at the 2023 and 2024 Junior World Cups.
“Phillip is a young defenseman who has experience playing high-level hockey and competing against some of the best players in the world in international competition,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “We are excited to have him as part of our organization as he continues to develop.”
Sinn will likely begin the 2026-27 season with the Barracuda in the AHL. Across the organization, the Sharks now have seven defensemen signed for next season, with three more waiting to become restricted free agents. The Sharks are expected to address the blueline in the coming weeks via trade and free agency, which begins July 1.