By The Canadian Press

Olympic teammates McDavid, MacKinnon, Celebrini named NHL’s three stars for December

Jan 1, 2026 | 12:34 PM

NEW YORK — Centres Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini, who will be teammates on Canada’s squad at next month’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, have been named the NHL’s three stars for December.

Also, Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov was named rookie of the month.

McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers’ captain, led the league with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) last month.

He enters the new year on a 14-game point streak after putting up the most points in a month since Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux in December 1995 (12 goals, 22 assists in 14 games).

MacKinnon was second in the league with 14 goals and 12 assists in 14 games for the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.

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Celebrini finished fourth in the NHL with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 14 contests and ended the month on a nine-game point streak for the San Jose Sharks.

McDavid and MacKinnon were two of the six initial players selected to Canada’s Olympic roster in June. Celebrini, a second-year forward, was added Wednesday when Hockey Canada released its full Olympic roster.

McDavid and MacKinnon entered 2026 tied for the league lead in scoring with 70 points, eight more than third-leading scorer Celebrini.

Canada plays its first game at the Olympics on Feb. 12 against Czechia. NHL players are competing at the Winter Games for the first time since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Demidov led all rookies in December with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 15 games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press