General Manager, San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) Mike Greer The club announced today that they had signed the centre. Macklin Celebrini The Sharks have acquired their No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft ( @MackCelebrini ) on a standard entry-level contract.
“Not only is Macklin a special player on the ice, he is a poised, confident and intelligent young man off the ice,” Grier said. “His combination of skill and hockey sense is rare and we are very confident he is ready to make the transition to being a full-time NHL player. We couldn't be more excited that Macklin has decided to officially join the Sharks organization for the 2024-25 season.”
Celebrini, 18, appeared in 38 NCAA games at Boston University, recording 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) and a plus-25 rating. As a freshman, Celebrini was second in the NCAA in points per game (1.68, behind only his current teammate). Will Smith He ranked second in goals against and third in points against with an average of 1.73. He became the fourth player in school history to reach 30 goals and 30 assists, failing to record a point in just six games last season. He recorded a four-assist game on November 11, marking his 10th consecutive game with a point (nine goals, 13 assists), and in his first 11 games of the season, he recorded eight multi-point games for a total of 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists). He helped BU reach the Beanpot Finals with a goal against Northeastern University, led the team to the Hockey East Finals against Smith College and Boston University, and helped BU reach the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals.
Celebrini was recognized for numerous year-end awards and accomplishments, most notably receiving the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey, becoming just the fourth player in NCAA history to win the award and the youngest player to ever do so. He was named National Rookie of the Year, New England Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year, and was named to the All-American First Team, Hockey East All-Star First Team, and Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Additionally, he was named National Rookie of the Year for October and March, Hockey East Player of the Month for October, Hockey East Player of the Month twice (January and March), Player of the Week twice (October 30 and March 11), and Rookie of the Week seven times.
Prior to playing at BU, he played one season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Chicago Steel, where he recorded 86 points (46 goals, 40 assists) and led the league in goals, points, game-winning goals (8), and power play goals (21). He broke the league record for most points by a U17 player in a single season (previously 69), became the first player in Steel history to score five goals in a single game, and fell two goals short of the team record for single-season goals of 48. He was named USHL Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Forward of the Year, becoming the first player in history to win all three honors in one season. He was also named to the All-USHL First Team and All-Rookie Team.
Celebrini also participated in the San Jose Jr. Sharks program during the 2019-20 season, appearing in 54 games with the U-14 AAA team and recording 94 points (49 goals, 45 assists).
Internationally, he represented Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship where he led the team with eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games, and also helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2023 U-18 World Junior Championship where he was named among the team's top three players at both tournaments.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Vancouver, British Columbia native was selected by San Jose in the 2024 NHL Draft (first round, first overall).
