NHL Draft: Sharks select Macklin Celebrini No. 1 overall as new era begins

LAS VEGAS – Macklin Celebrini never wanted to state the obvious, never wanted to come out and say he would be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and that he would soon be a part of the San Jose Sharks organization.

“Trying not to get too ahead of ourselves for where I’m going to go,” Celebrini said earlier this week.

The destination is official now, as Celebrini, under the dazzling lights of the Sphere just off Las Vegas Boulevard, was drafted first overall by the Sharks on Friday, making him a cornerstone piece of the franchise’s new era.

Sharks icon Joe Thornton announced the pick for the Sharks.

There was little question the Sharks would select the 18-year-old Celebrini, this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner, as college hockey’s top player after they won the NHL draft lottery on May 7.

Celebrini, the youngest player in the NCAA this past season as a 17-year-old, had 64 points, including 32 goals, in 38 games as Boston University’s No. 1 center, making him the second-highest scoring freshman in Division I behind Sharks’ prospect Will Smith.

Celebrini, the second-oldest son of Dr. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors vice-president of player health and performance, was equally adept at goal-scoring and distributing, all at a lightning-fast pace.

But what separates Celebrini from other prospects his age and caliber is his unwavering commitment to playing a two-way game. His relentless motor helped drive Boston University as he led the Terriers to a spot in the NCAA’s Frozen Four and a 28-10-2 record.

“He’s already a complete hockey player,” Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo said Friday of Celebrini on Daily Faceoff. “Obviously, he’s going to improve in all sorts of areas because he’s so young. But I’ve never seen a kid that young have that good of details in all three zones and care that much about the details in all three zones.

“He’s obviously off-the-charts talent-wise offensively, but he values every part of the game, and that’s why he’s so good. He’s so driven, so passionate about the game, and he’s passionate about getting better, and that’s how he’s wired.”

At just under 6 feet and nearly 200 pounds, Celebrini already has an NHL-ready frame, and indications are that he’ll turn pro and sign an entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Now, the biggest question is whether Celebrini will turn or return to Boston University for his sophomore season.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier and director of amateur scouting Chris Morehouse have said they want what’s best for Celebrini and all their draft picks. But it’s easy to see why Grier might want to get the North Vancouver native to sign now.

The Sharks are coming off a 19-54-9 season for a .287 points percentage, their worst as a team since 1995-96. Their average attendance this past season was 13,559, or 77.8% of SAP Center’s 17,435 seating capacity for hockey. That percentage was the lowest in the NHL, as the Sharks sold approximately 8,200 full-season equivalent ticket packages for 2023-24.

For 13 Sharks home dates, paid attendance ranged between 10,000 and 11,000, although the actual number of spectators in the building was far smaller.

But since the Sharks won the draft lottery, Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said last season ticket renewals have been at their highest pace since the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. New sales are also trending briskly.

Beche posted on social media Friday morning that the team gave out over 17,000 free tickets for their draft watch party that night at SAP Center.

“The mood around the franchise substantially changed after the number one pick went our way,” Becher said.