Sharks select Macklin Celebrini with No. 1 pick

The San Jose Sharks took Boston University star forward Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.

Celebrini went wire to wire as the consensus top prospect in the class. He dominated the NCAA at just 17 years old, becoming the youngest to win the Hobey Baker Award as men's collegiate hockey's top player.

Though scouts don't consider the Vancouver native a generational prospect like Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard, Celebrini's success at every level and his complete game make him a future No. 1 center and star for the Sharks.

San Jose legend Joe Thornton announced the pick.

Celebrini said he hasn't yet decided if he's going to return to Boston University or join the Sharks next season.

"I've still gotta talk to (general manager) Mike Grier and the San Jose organization and my coaches back at BU," he said. "But I'll make a decision soon."

"We obviously think he's ready to play in the NHL and would love to have him," Grier said. "But those are discussions we'll have with him and his family."

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini is no stranger to the Bay Area. His father, Rick Celebrini, has worked for the NBA's Golden State Warriors since 2018. Macklin even played a season with the San Jose Jr. Sharks at the Under-14 level.

"It's crazy," Celebrini said after being drafted. "It's surreal that life came full circle and that I'm back to where I was."

He began cementing his place as the best prospect in the 2024 class with the USHL's Chicago Steel. At 16 years old, Celebrini led the league in goals (46) and points (86) in only 50 games. He became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same campaign since the USHL became a Tier 1 junior league in 2001.

He backed up that impressive campaign at the 2023 World Under-18 Championship. Celebrini led Team Canada with 15 points in the seven-game tournament, the most ever by a 16-year-old Canadian at the time (Gavin McKenna broke the record this spring). Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard, and Shane Wright had the previous mark with 14 points.

The huge USHL campaign and U18s put pressure on Celebrini to perform immediately as the youngest player in college hockey. And he more than delivered.

We've seen draft-eligible players like Jack Eichel and Adam Fantilli dominate college hockey. What differentiates Celebrini's season is how young he was.

Both Eichel and Fantilli turned 18 in October of their draft year. Celebrini didn't celebrate his 18th birthday until June 13. The last 17-year-old to score like Celebrini did was Craig Simpson in 1985.

Though Canada disappointed at the world juniors, Celebrini was easily the team's best player despite being its youngest.

It's rare for someone as young as Celebrini to play in the NCAA, let alone become the league's best player. He's crushed the competition at each stage, both at the club level and internationally. Next up is the NHL.

What they're saying

"(Celebrini) checks every box you want in a top prospect and is one of the few players I've scouted where it's hard to see any noticeable weakness," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote.

"An all-around center with commitment to defensive play and playing on the interior, Celebrini has skill, competitiveness, work ethic, and hockey sense that is consistent with a top-line center in the NHL," wrote FloHockey's Chris Peters.

"He has shown again and again that he has … everything you look for in the mold of a center and has looked like a true star-forward prospect domestically and internationally," The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote.