The San Jose Sharks took a step toward returning to NHL relevance on Friday night when they selected Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the draft.
Celebrini, 18, was a star center at Boston University, the fourth freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player. And he did so as the youngest player in the country.
He scored 34 goals and scored 64 points in 38 games.
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Boston University's Macklin Celebrini was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the NHL Draft on June 28, 2024 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. (Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It's just a surreal feeling,” Celebrini said. “I've dreamed of this moment since I was a child and to have it come true is an incredible feeling.”
Celebrini has not yet decided whether he will return to Boston University for his sophomore year.
The Sharks entered the NHL at the start of the 1991-92 season. Friday night was the first time they had the No. 1 pick in the draft. They have had the No. 2 overall pick three times. In 1991, they selected Pat Falloon. In 1996, they selected Andrei Zyuzin. In 1997, they took Patrick Marleau.
A report from NHL Central Scouting described Celebrini as “a strong skater with fluid stride, elusive speed and quickness…The ideal choice for unique players on the power play. Plays a complete one-on-one game.”
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Macklin Celebrini (71) of the Boston University Terriers and Zeev Buium (28) of the Denver Pioneers battle for the puck during the Division I men's ice hockey semifinals at the Xcel Energy Center on April 11, 2024, in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photos by Tyler Schank/NCAA via Getty Images)
Celebrini is a key piece for the future of the Sharks. The team drafted center William Smith last year.
“Having the first overall pick is a great moment for the organization, having someone who can hopefully be a big part of our core and play here for a long, long time,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said earlier this week.
“He's definitely doing a good job of laying the groundwork. I don't know if he's finishing the groundwork,” he added. “It's definitely an important time, an important draft, but we still have work to do to round things out and continue to build the prospect pool.”
The draft took place for the first time at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the second pick. The Anaheim Ducks shocked the NHL world when they selected Beckett Sennecke, a right winger, with the No. 3 pick.
Macklin Celebrini, second from left, poses after being selected by the San Jose Sharks during the first round of the NHL hockey draft on Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)
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At No. 4, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected center Cayden Lindstrom. The Montreal Canadiens selected right winger Ivan Demidov with the fifth pick.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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