The San Jose Sharks have themselves a star, or so they hope. With the first pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Sharks selected Macklin Celebrini, a well-rounded center who is viewed by many as an elite talent.
It's a return to San Jose for Celebrini, the son of Golden State Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. He spent 2019-20 playing with the 14U junior Sharks, where he racked up 94 points (49 goals, 45 assists) in 54 games as a 13-year-old.
Celebrini, among many accolades, won the Hobey Baker Award last season -- given to the top college player in the country -- becoming the fourth freshman to ever win it.
In his 38 games for Boston University, Celebrini tallied 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) with a +25 plus-minus. He was second in points only to... Sharks 2023 first-round and fourth overall pick Will Smith (71 points), who played last year at Boston College. Smith, 19, signed his NHL contract earlier this offseason.
With Celebrini and Smith, the Sharks have a tantalizing tandem. They also have the 11th overall pick after trading the 14th and 42nd overall picks to the Buffalo Sabres. The team is in desperate need of promising defensemen, but Cole Eiserman is a sniping prospect and close friend of Celebrini who could also make sense there. Make no mistake, there is a very, very talented core being built in San Jose.