Joe Thornton, left, poses for a photo with Macklin Celebrini after being selected by the the San Jose Sharks with the first overall pick during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have signed center Macklin Celebrini, the first-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract, starting a new era for the franchise.
“Macklin is not only a special player on the ice, but he is a poised, confident and intelligent young man off of it,” San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “His combination of skills and hockey sense is rare, and we are extremely confident that he is ready to make the transition to being a full time NHL player. We could not be more excited to have Macklin locked in to formally join the Sharks organization for the 2024-25 season.”
The announcement Saturday ended any speculation that Celebrini, this past season’s Hobey Baker Award winner, might return to Boston University for his sophomore season. Celebrini, 18, played in 38 games for Boston University and had 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) with a plus-25 rating.
As a freshman, Celebrini finished second in the NCAA in points-per-game (1.68, trailing only current teammate Will Smith at 1.73), ranked second in goals and was third in points.
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Originally published at Curtis Pashelka