We know where Maclin Celebrini will go in the 2024 draft…but where will he go in last year's draft?
It wouldn't be No. 1.
Connor Bedard, the hottest prospect after Connor McDavid in 2015, remains the No. 1 overall pick, according to two NHL scouts and TSN draft guru Craig Button. It is said that there is.
But will the San Jose Sharks' future No. 1 overall pick be selected ahead of No. 2 Leo Karlsson, who went to the Anaheim Ducks, and No. 3 Adam Fantilli, who went to the Columbus Blue Jackets?
“He's No. 2,” Scout No. 1 said.
“I would take Celebrini behind Bedar,” Scout #2 said.
“No. 2,” Button said on an episode of the San Jose Hockey Now podcast to be released next week. “There's no question.”
That's a high rating considering Karlsson and Fantilli's quality as prospects and solid rookie campaigns.
Karlsson, a 6-foot-3 center, had 12 goals and 17 assists in just 55 games while the Ducks gradually developed him and occasionally sat him out for load management reasons.
Fantilli, a 6-foot-2 center, played in just 49 games for the Blue Jackets and had 12 goals and 15 assists before his season was cut short by a calf tear.
At 6-foot-0, Celebrini is a slightly smaller center, but has good size and, just as importantly, very mature skills defensively.
Scout #2 said, “I think he brings a little bit better all-around game than Fantilli and a little more wow factor than Karlsson.”
“They're good players,” Button said of Karlsson and Fantilli. “They're not Macklin Celebrini. I don't see any other basis to compare them to. [all] Plays in the center ice position. ”
Wow!
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Now, next question: Where does Celebrini rank among first overall picks over the past decade?
The Athletic asked this question about a month ago, asking six NHL scouts and executives to “rank players based on what they thought of prospects during their draft years.”
The soon-to-be San Jose Sharks' first-ever No. 1 pick had the following performances:
- Connor McDavid (2015)
- Connor Bedard (2023)
- Auston Matthews (2016)
- Jack Hughes (2019)
- Macklin Celebrini (2024)
- Rasmus Dahlin (2018)
- Owen Power (2021)
- Nico Isier (2017)
- Alexis Lafreniere (2020)
- Juraj Slavkovsky (2022)
Scout #2 said, “Celebrini vs. Hughes would be a good debate.”
Interestingly, The Athletic said, “Six voters were chosen instead of the odd five because the initial five-voter poll resulted in a tie between Mr. Celebrini and Mr. Jack Hughes.”
However, Scout #2 would leapfrog both Hughes and Celebrini with one defenseman.
“I would prioritize Darling over Hughes and Celebrini, but that's probably the limit,” he said, looking back on 2018. ”
For this scout, it's Hughes or Celebrini, easily outperforming Power and the rest of the pack.
“That's not a negative against Celebrini or Hughes, it's about how good Dahlin was in his draft year,” he said. “Charm of the phantom definitive No.1 two-way D”
But how do you slice it? The San Jose Sharks are looking to land a franchise superstar prospect in Celebrini.
