San Jose Sharks win the NHL Draft lottery and have the No. 1 pick for the first time in team history
The San Jose Sharks won Tuesday's draft lottery, and general manager Mike Grier already has an idea about who he'll take with the No. 1 pick: Boston College center Macklin Celebrini.
Asked if he expected the 17-year-old forward, who is college hockey's youngest Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner and the NHL Scouting Bureau's top pick, to be the top pick, Greer said, “I think so. “Y-yeah, that's right,” he replied.
The Sharks will maintain their spot in the lottery and receive the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft for the first time in franchise history following a season in which they finished last in the overall standings.
Although he is from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Celebrini is familiar with Grier, who also played in the Bay Area and at Boston University.
“I'm excited. To have the opportunity to draft a player like Macklin is a big moment for the organization and the fans here,” Grier said. “This has been a tough year for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity.”
Celebrini's father, Rick Celebrini, currently serves as vice president of player health and performance for the NBA's Golden State Warriors, and the youngster played one year with the Sharks' junior team.
“Obviously, they're a great organization, and if you're lucky enough to get drafted there, you're very lucky,” the younger Celebrini said.
San Jose had an 18.5% chance of winning the lottery and a 25.5% chance of being the No. 1 pick.
The lottery result was the worst, and the draft order remained unchanged. The Chicago Blackhawks, who selected Connor Bedard with the first pick last year, kept the second pick, followed by the Anaheim Ducks.
This is the first time since the 2010 draft lottery that the pick order has not changed. Utah, the NHL's newest market, remained in sixth place. Salt Lake City acquired an NHL franchise last month with the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes.
More about NHL in Utah:
The league on Tuesday also announced that preparations have been in the works for some time. The draft will be held June 28th and 29th at the Sphere in Las Vegas. This will be the first time that the event will be broadcast on television at this venue.
This is the second time in franchise history, and the first since San Jose's first year in 1991-92, that the Sharks have finished last overall in the NHL standings. After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons, the Sharks are in full rebuild mode as they enter their third offseason under Grier. San Jose finished the season with 19 wins, the third fewest in team history in a full NHL season.
Grier fired coach David Quinn last month and had previously begun overhauling the roster by trading away high-priced stars such as Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Timo Meier.
As a result of the lottery, the Sharks now have the second first-round pick, No. 14 overall, held by Pittsburgh. San Jose acquired the pick in the trade that sent Karlsson to the Penguins, but the Penguins had the right to keep the pick only if they finished in the top 10 of the draft order.
Celebrini finished the season third among Division I skaters with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 68 games, winning both Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.
At 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds, he has a chance to become the fourth NCAA player selected No. 1 overall and the second forward, joining Michigan defenseman Owen in 2021. This is Power's first pick since he was selected by Buffalo with the No. 1 pick. The first college forward drafted was Michigan State's Joe Murphy, selected by Detroit in 1986.
Celebrini was the youngest player in college hockey last season and is considered a “strong skater with a fluid stride, elusive speed and quickness,” according to a Central Scouting report.
“He has the rare and elite ability to meet every challenge head-on and grow with his skills and brains while fighting with a consistent passion to produce results,” said Dan Marr, Head of Central Scouting. By doing so, you will develop yourself into a better player.”
Michigan State freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov, a native of Belarus, ranks second among North American prospects, followed by Medicine Hat Tigers center Caden Lindstrom.
Central Scouting's top skater in Europe is Anton Shilaev, a 6-foot-7 defenseman from Sarov, Russia.
_____
