Macklin Celebrini taken by Sharks with No. 1 pick in NHL Draft: What impact will he have in San Jose?

LAS VEGAS — On Friday night at the Sphere, the San Jose Sharks said out loud what had already been not-so-quietly suggested for weeks: Boston University star Macklin Celebrini was the No. 1 prospect — and their No. 1 pick — in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier, a Boston University alum himself, made it official.

There were never any what-ifs at the top of this year’s draft. Celebrini, a 6-foot, 197-pound center, held the pole position for two years.

A shark is born.

With the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the San Jose Sharks select center Macklin Celebrini.@SanJoseSharks | #NHLDraft https://t.co/IZzBdrcYYt pic.twitter.com/LX4azSvFYh

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 28, 2024

At 16, he was named USHL Player of the Year and led Canada in scoring at U18 worlds with 15 points in seven games — as an underager and while playing through a shoulder injury that would require surgery. That year, his 46 goals and 86 points (in just 50 games) shattered the USHL’s single-season under-17 mark.

That season, one rival USHL head coach told The Athletic Celebrini was “an outlier, Sidney Crosby type.”

As the youngest player in college hockey this season and in return from that shoulder surgery, Celebrini also became the youngest player in NCAA history to win the Hobey Baker Award, registering 64 points in 38 games as a freshman and leading the Terriers to the Frozen Four.

At midseason, he also registered eight points in five games as Canada’s leading scorer — and youngest player — at the world juniors.

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On a Tuesday phone call in advance of the draft, BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said, “The Sharks are getting a player that you can really build around.”

The fit is a natural one for both Celebrini (who played minor hockey for the San Jose Jr. Sharks AAA program and whose father, Rick, is the Golden State Warriors’ longtime director of sports medicine and performance) and San Jose (which got a cornerstone potential first-line center to rebuild around).

Pandolfo called it a full-circle moment.

“I think it’s special just because of how it transpired, with his family moving to California for his dad’s job and then him playing for the Jr. Sharks,” he said. “And it has been talked about for a long time that he’s a potential No. 1 pick, so for him to have all that pressure and the expectations and still separate himself as the No. 1 and then end up in San Jose where his family’s at, I think it’s pretty special for him and his family. And I think for a young kid like that with high expectations, to be close to home can certainly help.”

My feature on Macklin Celebrini, who is scoring s goal per game to start his freshman season at BU, and how a lifetime spent around top athletic performers helped him beat his timeline after off-season shoulder surgery via @TheAthletic: https://t.co/JiSuhJowI2

— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) November 2, 2023

Celebrini joins a recent cast of Sharks first-round picks led by Boston College center Will Smith, OHL 100-point man Quentin Musty, Russian defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and Swedes William Eklund, Filip Bystesdt and David Edstrom in San Jose’s growing pool of prospects.

How Celebrini fits in San Jose

This is a historic day for the Sharks. They’ve had a No. 1 pick and Joe Thornton’s brilliant 15-year run will be commemorated with his No. 19 being retired sometime next season, but Thornton was the result of the greatest trade in franchise history.

But this was the first time they’ve drafted No. 1 and Celebrini will undoubtedly be seen as the player that leads San Jose back to prominence.

Four years removed from playing in the San Jose Jr. Sharks program after his family moved from North Vancouver to the Bay Area, Celebrini now becomes a senior Shark and could make his NHL debut on opening night if he decides to leave Boston University and sign with the team.

The 18-year-old has nothing more to accomplish at the collegiate level outside of winning an NCAA title after reaching the Frozen Four.

The allure of starting his pro career right away with college rival, and eventual teammate Will Smith, could be tempting after Smith signed with San Jose following his terrific one-and-done season at Boston College. If they evolve into top NHL talents, Celebrini and Smith could give the Sharks the kind of one-two punch Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were for Chicago Blackhawks.

Celebrini is lauded for his all-around ability at center, equally able to be a game-changing force on the offensive end while displaying a high level of defensive acumen at such a young age. Grier hasn’t been all that coy about who he’d pick No. 1 since winning the draft lottery and he didn’t need to be.

The draft from the No. 2 pick carries intrigue in terms of which highly rated prospect goes where with several at the top rated evenly. No one was higher than Celebrini, whose maturity beyond his years won over Grier off the ice, as well as his feats on it.

“We had dinner with him, and he sat at a table with eight grown men and held the conversation and was at ease and was comfortable,” Grier said earlier this week. “I think he’s a great kid. His parents did a really good job raising him. Well-mannered. Polite. But when you sit down with him for two minutes, I think you really feel his drive and competitiveness. Kind of just seeps out of him.

“I think that’s what you notice most. He’s a driven kid. He’s an alpha. Kind of all the things to expect and (based on) experience from other No. 1 picks, he has all that stuff and the belief in himself and the will and the want to get better and work on his craft. He’s an impressive kid.”

Such is the excitement over a potential new and marketable franchise face that SAP Center in San Jose was nearly filled to the brim for the Macklin Celebration draft party. The Sharks, in a symbolic and franchise-defining way, turned the page from an NHL-worst 19-win season.

While Celebrini won’t execute an immediate turnaround on his own, his presence at the heart of a new young core brimming with possibilities makes them relevant again and a team to watch in the coming seasons. — Eric Stephens, Sharks staff writer

Required reading:

(Photo: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images)