MACKLIN Celebrini will have just turned 18 a few weeks ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, making him one of the youngest top prospects in franchise history.
The ice hockey forward has already won over fans and enthusiasts across the US and Canada, and as the NHL Draft approaches, Macklin Celebrini is also poised to be the number one overall pick.
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Who is NHL draft prospect Macklin Celebrini?
Macklin Celebrini is a Canadian ice hockey player.
Celebrini was born on June 13, 2006, in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
He comes from a sports-focused family.
His father, Rick Celebrini, is a former soccer player for the Edmonton Brick Men and Vancouver 86ers.
Rick is currently a physiotherapist and head of sports medicine and science for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and the director of sports medicine and performance for the Golden State Warriors.
Celebrini’s older brother, Aiden Celebrini, was drafted in the sixth round, 171st overall, by the Vancouver Canucks, their hometown team, in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Celebrini plays collegiate hockey for the Boston University Terriers, an NCAA Division 1 program.
He previously played ice hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, a coeducational boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota.
After scoring 50 goals and 67 assists in 52 high school games, Celebrini signed with the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel for the 2022-23 season.
He scored 86 points during the season, the most ever by a player younger than 17 in USHL history.
He became only the second USHL player to win three coveted awards, including Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Forward of the Year.
Beyond his collegiate and USHL career, Celebrini has played international hockey, representing his home country, Canada.
Celebrini made his debut in the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
In 2023, he was named to the national under-18 team for the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships in Switzerland.
Celebrini scored the medal-winning goal against Slovakia, earning a Bronze Medal for Canada.
What award did he win?
Macklin Celebrini committed to play for Boston University for the 2023-24 season.
He managed to score 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games during his freshman year and won several awards and accolades for his work, including:
- Hockey East Player of the Year
- Hockey East Rookie of the Year
- Hockey East Scoring Champion
- Hockey East Three-Stars Award
Celebrini’s most coveted achievement, however, was winning the Hobey Baker Award.
He became the youngest player to win the award, and just the fourth freshman in Boston University’s history.
Other freshman recipients include:
- Paul Kariya – 1993 recipient
- Jack Eichel – 2015 recipient
- Adam Fantilli– 2023 recipient
The Hobey Baker Award is given to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player, otherwise known as the best “amateur” ice hockey player in the US.
It is awarded to an individual who “exhibits strength of character both on and off the ice and contributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game,” as reported by the Hobey Baker Foundation’s website.
The annual trophy has been awarded 44 times and is named after Hobey Baker, a Hall of Famer and former Princeton University collegiate hockey player.
Rather than going pro, Baker enlisted in the US Army Air Service during World War I.
Just hours before he was to return home to America, he died in Toul, France, in December 1918, after a plane he was test-piloting crashed.
While the award is named after Baker, the trophy is modeled on Steve Christoff, who played for the NHL and for the University of Minnesota.
Along with the Hobey Baker Award, Celebrini also managed to be named as a member of the All-Hockey East First Team, the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and the AHCA East First Team-All American.
He also won the Tim Taylor Award, given to the year’s most outstanding NCAA Division 1 freshman player.
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When is the NHL draft?
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft – the league’s 62nd overall – will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 28 and 29, 2024.
For the first time in franchise history, the San Jose Sharks will have the first overall pick regarding which college player they want to sign.
The Chicago Blackhawks will have the second pick, while the Anaheim Ducks will make the third selection.
Rounding out the top 10 lottery spots are the:
- Columbus Blue Jackets (4)
- Montreal Canadiens (5)
- Utah NHL team (6)
- Ottawa Senators (7)
- Seattle Kraken (8)
- Calgary Flames (9)
- New Jersey Devils (10)
Celebrini is believed to be the number one draft pick in the 2024 National Hockey League Draft.
He seems like a natural fit for the San Jose Sharks, having played for the Junior Sharks in the 2019-20 season at just 14 years old.
“Obviously, I lived there for a little bit growing up with my dad being with the Warriors,” Celebrini said in an interview with ESPN, as reported by CBS Sports News.
“Obviously, they’re a great organization, and if I’m fortunate enough to be drafted there, I’ll be very lucky,” he added.