The San Jose Sharks won the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 7, and will select first in the draft, which takes place June 28 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. With that first overall pick, the Sharks are expected to select Macklin Celebrini, a 17-year-old center from Boston University.
“It’s a big moment for the organization and the fans here to be able to draft someone like Macklin,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier told ESPN. “It was a tough year for us and to have this opportunity, we couldn’t be more excited.”
The Sharks (19-54-9) finished last overall in the NHL during the regular season and had the best odds (18.5 percent) to win the lottery. It is the first time in franchise history that the Sharks have the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft.
Celebrini is familiar with the Bay Area in California because his father, Rick Celebrini, is the vice president of player health and performance for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.
“Obviously, I’ve lived there for a little bit growing up … [the Sharks] are a great organization and if I’m fortunate enough to get drafted there, I’d be very lucky,” Celebrini said on ESPN.
Celebrini is the consensus choice to be selected first overall this year. He had impressive numbers in his first season at Boston University, with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games, and won the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the best player in college hockey.
The Vancouver native led BU to the Frozen Four this season, where they lost to the eventual national champion, University of Denver, 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals.
In an interesting twist, Grier also attended Boston University and was quick to point out that Celebrini is “a Terrier, too.”
On the national stage, Celebrini led Canada with four goals and eight points in five games at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“I think he’s a 200-foot player which is rare for someone that is as offensively gifted as he is,” Grier explained. “As a 17-year-old he plays a real complete game, both ends of the ice. He cares and I love his competitiveness.”
Though he hasn’t generated quite the frenzy that 2023 top pick Connor Bedard did before being selected by the Chicago Blackhawks, there are many hockey experts that compare Celebrini favorably with Bedard. In fact, Celebrini might be more well-rounded as a player, since he patterns his game after two-way centers like Jonathan Toews and Brayden Point.
The head of one NHL scouting department told ESPN that Celebrini is “as complete a prospect as there is” and said he’s more than ready to make an impact in the NHL next season.
The Sharks will have two first-round picks in the 2024 draft. They also own the the No. 14 overall pick, as part of a trade last summer that sent defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Related: 2024 NHL Mock Draft 1.0
2024 NHL Draft order after Sharks win lottery for No. 1 pick
Not a single team moved up or down in the draft lottery. Here’s the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
1. San Jose Sharks
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Utah
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Seattle Kraken
9. Calgary Flames
10. New Jersey Devils
11. Buffalo Sabres
12. Philadelphia Flyers
13. Minnesota Wild
14. San Jose Sharks (from Pittsburgh Penguins)
15. Detroit Red Wings
16. St. Louis Blues