Eight days after selecting him with the first pick, the San Jose Sharks signed Macklin Celebrini to their entry-level contract on Saturday.
Celebrini, 18, said before and after the NHL draft that he wanted to consider all of his options when it came time to take the next step. The decision facing the center was whether to return to Boston University for his sophomore season or join the Sharks.
He chose the NHL and with it, the chance to establish himself as a top-line center while also serving as the face of a Sharks rebuild that has significantly turned its fortunes around in recent seasons.
“Macklin is not only a special player on the ice, but he is also a poised, confident and intelligent young man off of it,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “His combination of skill set and hockey sense is uncommon, and we are very confident that he is ready to make this transition and become a full-time NHL player. We couldn't be more excited to have Macklin officially commit to join the Sharks organization for the 2024-25 season.”
The initial consensus No. 1 pick, Celebrini's only season at BU, reinforced the belief that the franchise that won the NHL draft lottery would get first rights to select a player considered a franchise cornerstone.
Celebrini was a 17-year-old freshman at BU who finished with 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games for the Terriers. He led the Terriers in goals and points en route to finishing with a 28-10-2 record and advancing to the national semifinal. BU would lose in overtime to Denver, which won its 10th national title, the most in men's college hockey history.
Although BU fell short of winning what would have been the sixth national title in the history of its men's program, Celebrini did win the Hobey Baker Award for the country's top men's players.
His exploits only added to the hype in what became known as “The Celebrini Draft,” with teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and Sharks having the best odds of selecting him with the first pick.
The Sharks entered the NHL draft lottery with not only the worst record in the league, but also one of the worst marks in the salary cap area. Finishing last gave them the best odds of winning the lottery, which they did, and put them in position to select Celebrini, who played one season for the San Jose Jr. Sharks when his family moved from North Vancouver when his father, Rick, took a job with the Golden State Warriors.
Now that they have Celebrini under contract, it looks like the Sharks' rebuild could be ready to take another step forward.
Between the 2003-04 and 2018-19 seasons, the Sharks had only missed the playoffs once for reasons unrelated to the lockout. But an aging core led to a transition period that has seen the franchise miss the playoffs for the past five seasons.
Part of that transition included hiring Grier as general manager in 2022, who has since used trades to bolster the club’s draft capital. The Sharks have had a pair of first-round picks in the past two drafts and will have two first-round picks in next year’s draft.
It's a strategy that has seen them recruit U.S. National Team Development Program center Will Smith, Sudbury Wolves left winger Quentin Musty, London Knights defenseman Sam Dickinson and Celebrini.
Earlier this offseason, the Sharks signed Smith to their ELC after what became his only season at Boston College, where he scored 25 goals and 71 points as a freshman.
The Sharks now have Celebrini and Smith, who were two of the best men's college players in the country, joining a roster that already featured local talents such as William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau and Mario Ferraro.
It's a rebuild that has also added veterans such as Barclay Goodrow, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Walman and Alexander Wennberg in a series of moves that could see the Sharks potentially improve their last-place finish.
