Macklin Celebrini had just won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s college hockey player in the nation. At 17 years old, the two-way center became the youngest ever to earn the accolade following a 64-point season with the Boston University men’s hockey team during the 2023-24 campaign.
However, he was not content.
“Definitely would trade a national championship for that award,” Celebrini said April 12 in Saint Paul, Minn., according to The Boston Hockey Blog.
The Terriers fell 2-1 to the University of Denver the night before, ending their run in the NCAA national semifinal and rendering their season-long goal now impossible. The Hobey-Baker win was an honor and historic, but Celebrini was still hung up on the missed opportunity — on the success of his whole team.
It’s this competitive bite – paired with dazzling, well-rounded talent – that has fueled Celebrini to being the consensus first-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Celebrini, now 18 years old, will likely be selected by the San Jose Sharks, who won the No. 1 pick in the Draft Lottery in May. The Sharks finished the 2023-24 season at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 19-54-9 record. Now, they’ve got the right to welcome a franchise player to their organization. If chosen first, Celebrini will be the fifth college hockey player taken first overall in the NHL Draft.
While he is originally from Vancouver, San Jose is a familiar homebase for Celebrini whose father, Rick Celebrini, is the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Celebrini has not made an official decision on whether he will return to Boston University for his sophomore year or make the jump to the NHL. It’s rare that a No. 1 pick wouldn’t immediately join his draft team, but Celebrini and those surrounding him are focused on his development.
“There’s never really shame or there’s nothing wrong with just taking your time and just improving a little bit more,” Celebrini said June 7 at the NHL pre-draft scouting combine, according to the Associated Press. “So I feel like in those ways, another year would benefit me just to get more physically ready, and just make sure I’m very fit and strong when I try to make that jump.”
Fellow Hockey East player Will Smith signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Sharks on May 28 following a freshman season with Boston College in which he had 56 points. Smith was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and will play a significant role in the future of San Jose’s success.
The Terriers would gladly welcome Celebrini back if he opted for a second year of NCAA hockey. The forward racked up 32 goals and 32 assists through 38 games while centering BU’s first line and was a power-play stalwart with his lethal release from the face-off circles.
Celebrini closed his freshman campaign with Hockey East Player and Rookie of the Year recognition, as well as the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year.
While much is rightfully made of Celebrini’s offensive prowess, it’s his 200-foot game that has allowed him to dominate at every level in which he has skated. For a young player with a hefty amount of star power, Celebrini takes pride in his defensive details and the grittier parts of the sport.
Celebrini was a top-six headliner at BU all while blocking shots, logging time on the penalty kill, taking and giving hits, closing out contests in the defensive zone and making those around him better.
“He never takes a shift off, never gives anyone an inch, whether it’s in practice or a game. I saw it from day one,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo told The Boston Hockey Blog. “The first day he stepped on campus just looking at the way he was wired and how he was competing. You could tell that he wanted to get better every day – and to see the talent that goes along with it, it’s pretty impressive”
