All eyes were on Macklin Celebrini before he ever put on a teal jersey.
When he stepped foot in October 2023 at Agganis Arena to play for Boston University, whispers of him being the number one pick in June were everywhere, from scouts to diehard hockey fans to casual hockey enjoyers at Agganis. I distinctly remember hearing chatter around me when I would attend BU games as people pointed at 71 dancing easily around defenders.
“That Celebrini guy,” they would say. “He’s really good.”
More eyes were on Celebrini as he dominated college hockey as the youngest NCAA player that year. Even though he was playing against older and stronger guys every weekend, he ended his first and only year in college with 64 points in 28 games.
When the Sharks won the draft lottery, it was unofficially official. Macklin Celebrini was going to be a San Jose Shark.
Flash forward to October 2024, and he scored his first NHL goal in his first game, even if it was a bit of a flukey one. He would proceed to light it up in his rookie season, turning the heads of the rest of the league. A Calder finalist, he finished the season with 63 total points in 70 games.
But beyond the points, we saw constant flashes of brilliance from the first overall pick. The word “two-way” occasionally gets thrown around too loosely for my liking, but Celebrini is a fantastic two-way player. One of the most impressive things about him that has always jumped out to me is how he is in his defensive zone.
Often the first forward to be back to help defend, he is relentless on the backcheck, quickly able to shift over when he makes an error or has the puck taken away from him. He never gives up on the play, no matter how broken. In the ideal case, that relentlessness has led to goals. Not to mention his ability to see the ice and anticipate what’s coming in a sport that moves so quickly.
When someone is drafted first overall, it’s a double edged sword. They’re, by all means, a very good player, expected to make splashes onto a team that is severely struggling. However, it often takes multiple years for that player to see any sort of team award for their efforts. And oftentimes, with any rookie, it takes a moment to adjust to the speed, strength and overall skill needed for the NHL.
But Celebrini didn’t seem to need that adjustment period. It didn’t seem like he was ever behind. Even when he wouldn’t score a point in a few games, we knew he would pick it back up sooner rather than later. Even when he got injured in preseason and had to sit out a few weeks in October, he didn’t miss a step when he came back. Even when the Sharks kept giving up third period leads, it wasn’t for lack of effort on Celebrini’s part.
Player of the franchise is a phrase I see coined next to Celebrini’s name all the time. His rookie season has proven that he’s up for that title.