Sharks sign No. 1 pick Celebrini to 3-year ELC
The 2024 first overall pick is turning pro.
The San Jose Sharks signed forward Macklin Celebrini to a three-year, entry-level contract Saturday.
His pact carries a cap hit of $975,000 plus an additional $3.5 million in performance bonuses, according to PuckPedia.
"Macklin is not only a special player on the ice, but he is a poised, confident, and intelligent young man off of it," general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. "His combination of skills and hockey sense is rare, and we are extremely confident that he is ready to make the transition to being a full-time NHL player.
"We could not be more excited to have Macklin locked in to formally join the Sharks organization for the 2024-25 season."
The 18-year-old ranked second in the NCAA with 32 goals as a freshman with Boston University this past season and third with 64 points in 38 contests. Celebrini became the youngest recipient of the Hobey Baker Award, which honors the top player in men's college hockey.
He logged 46 goals and 86 points in 50 games as a member of the USHL's Chicago Steel in 2022-23.
The North Vancouver native also has some international experience under his belt. Celebrini represented Canada at the World U18 Championships in 2023 and helped the team win bronze after netting 15 points in seven games. He also led his country with eight points in five outings at the 2024 world juniors, though Canada finished the event in fifth place.
Celebrini is familiar with the Bay Area and played a season with the San Jose Jr. Sharks at the Under-14 level. His father, Rick, has worked for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA since 2018.
Grier said the Sharks' offseason moves thus far helped Celebrini put pen to paper, according to The Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka.
After finishing in last place in the league with a 19-54-9 record, Grier added the likes of Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, and Barclay Goodrow to kick off his summer.
The Sharks also signed fellow top prospect and 2023 fourth overall pick Will Smith to his entry-level pact in late May. Smith was a freshman with Boston College this past season.
Grier made it clear that he didn't want to put too much on the two youngsters' plates next season.
"I think that's been kind of the goal here, to kind of try and insulate (Celebrini) and (Smith) so they don't feel like they've got the weight on their shoulders and that they've gotta go out and produce every single night," he explained, per NBC Sports California.
"I'm not expecting (Celebrini) to go out there and be the MVP of the league or anything like that," Grier added. "There's gonna be bumps, there's gonna be ups and downs, and I'm sure he'll navigate that and we'll help him navigate those things."