When the San Jose Sharks chose to ice a roster that barely resembled an NHL team in 2023-24, a large part of what kept fans going was the hope that the team could put itself in pole position to draft Macklin Celebrini and break a years-long streak of failure. And when the team won the draft lottery, the celebrations around the fanbase resembled those not seen since the heady days of the Game 7 comeback against Vegas in 2019.
To some, the jubilation over a single prospect may have looked like an overreaction. But to those familiar with the young center’s game, it was entirely warranted.
A phenomenal player at both ends of the ice, the former Junior Shark has drawn comparisons to Sidney Crosby for his hockey smarts and all-around play. A powerful skater with a rocket of a shot, extraordinary creativity and vision, excellent compete levels, and a surprisingly strong physical frame, Celebrini possesses almost every skill you could possibly want in a prospect.
It’s rare to find a prospect like Celebrini in any draft. The fact that San Jose managed to snag him arguably single-handedly validates Mike Grier’s decision to rip the roster down to its bones, and validates perhaps the most miserable Sharks season in recent history. Celebrini is the type of franchise cornerstone that can turn around a team’s fortunes, and the rare prospect that is actually worth wasting a season for.
Known as a rink rat with the ability to do virtually anything asked of him, it’s fairly common to see Celebrini out alone on Sharks Ice, practicing until he’s forcibly booted off. With a remarkably refined defensive game, honed by years of playing the blueline as a child, Celebrini is the rare forward who can see the game as a defenseman would. This gives him the vision to spot and create lanes and openings few other forwards could dream of, all without compromising his defensive positioning or ability to recover.
At Boston University, Celebrini put up a season for the ages despite being one of the youngest players in the draft, winning the Hobey Baker award as a 17-year-old. In doing so, he joined Jack Eichel and Paul Kariya and Adam Fantilli as one of just four players to ever win the coveted MVP award as a freshman. Hardly anyone could make the argument that it was undeserved.
Position: Forward
Height: 6 feet, 0 inches
Weight: 190 lbs.
Age: 18
Date of Birth: June 13, 2006
Draft Year: 2024 (1st overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2024-25 Team: San Jose Sharks
What we like
Celebrini is possibly the best college draft prospect ever, according to EliteProspects, and there’s really no clear weaknesses in his game. He’s a phenomenal scorer, with 32 goals and 64 points in just 38 collegiate games. His one-timer is a pure rocket, and his passing is uniquely crisp and creative. As a plus, he manages to play at a physical level that belies his middling height, thanks to his expert ability to avoid and absorb contact. This should help him adjust to the NHL very quickly.
Celebrini’s offense alone would be enough to put him in storied company — with the best-ever age-16 USHL season and an all-timer of a freshman year at Boston University, his production would already place him at the top of the NHL’s prospect rankings. What sets him further apart from everyone, however, is his defense.
San Jose has a lot of offensively dominant players with questions around their defense (Will Smith) or discipline (Quentin Musty), but it is quite rare to find someone with the maturity Celebrini does at his young age. Every scout that has ever seen him has raved about his two-way smarts and instincts, and rightly so; he profiles as a potential elite two-way center in the league, and can be deployed in all situations and on both sets of special teams.
The other thing to like about Celebrini is his attitude. Skill is a requirement to succeed in the NHL, but coachability often proves to be the bridge between the tiers and the trait that allows players to ascend from good to great. Celebrini carries far less risk than a typical prospect does precisely because of his versatility and work ethic, which further separate him from other excellent prospects.
Areas of Improvement
Celebrini is the rare prospect who doesn’t really have any obvious weaknesses. If you stretch, you can say that his offensive skills are closer to Barkov’s than they are to McDavid’s. But at that point, you’re just finding reasons to complain. He profiles as a potential point-per-game center with elite two-way skill, and is the type of player you can build a contender around and deploy in any situation.
He’s not Connor McDavid, and he doesn’t have the puck wizardry of Connor Bedard. But his offensive game is nothing to scoff at — recall that he put up 64 points in 38 games as a 17-year-old, which is actually a bit stronger than Jack Eichel’s age-adjusted draft year performance for Boston University. Celebrini is better than a lot of first overall picks, and has a significantly more refined two-way game than almost all of them did at his age.
What’s Next for Celebrini?
Celebrini will begin the 2024-25 season on the Sharks’ top line, along with Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund. Barring injury or a major setback, he figures to stay there for much of the season. There will be bumps, but it’s reasonable to expect 20 goals and 50 points from Celebrini with first-line ice time and first-unit power play time, especially given that he is one of the few genuine top-six forwards the team currently has.
If he does well there, then the sky truly is the limit.
Highlight?
A lot of ink has been spilled on just how good Celebrini’s compete, discipline, and defensive acumen are, but it’s worth looking at the offensive skills that actually make him so strong. Despite just having turned 18, Celebrini’s shot is already one of the most impressive on the team. Just watch his first (preseason) goal for the Sharks.
Top 25 Under 25 so far
2. Will Smith
3. William Eklund
4. Yaroslav Askarov
5. Quentin Musty
6. Sam Dickinson
7. Shakir Mukhamadullin
8. Filip Bystedt
9. Thomas Bordeleau
10. Henry Thrun
11. Kasper Halttunen
12. Igor Chernyshov
13. Luca Cagnoni
14. Danil Gushchin
15. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
16. Collin Graf
17. Jack Thompson
18. Ethan Cardwell
19. Cameron Lund
20. Eric Pohlkamp
21. Ty Dellandrea
22. Mattias Havelid
23. Jake Furlong
24. Georgi Romanov
25. Tristen Robins
Honorable Mention: Brandon Svoboda, Gannon Laroque, Brandon Coe, Carson Wetsch and Valtteri Pulli
