LAS VEGAS鈥擜mid the glitz and glamour that is synonymous with Sin City, the San Jose Sharks surprised no one when they chose Boston University centre Macklin Celebrini with the first pick of the NHL draft.
And though he might have expected to hear his name, it was still special when it was made official.
鈥淛ust a surreal feeling,鈥 Celebrini said. 鈥淚’ve dreamed about this moment ever since I was a kid and for it to come true, it’s just an amazing feeling.
The San Jose Sharks picked 18-year-old centre Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 selection in the NHL draft. The 18-year-old centre from Vancouver won this season鈥檚 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA with Boston University. (June 29, 2024 / The Canadian Press)
鈥淚’m so excited to join this organization.鈥
It’s a match made in heaven for the Sharks and the Celebrini family. The 18-year-old is the kind of playmaking talent that a rebuilding team like the Sharks needs to turn the program around.
And he’s a local kid. His father, Rick, is the director of sports medicine for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. When the family moved from Vancouver, Celebrini joined the Junior Sharks program.
鈥淚t was completely different from where I grew up,鈥 Celebrini said. 鈥淭he whole experience is unique. It kind of works now that I have the lay of land and I got to experience what life in California is like. There’s not that much transition. I enjoyed my time playing for the Junior Sharks that one year. Now I’m excited to play for the actual Sharks.鈥
It was former Leaf Joe Thornton, a legendary Shark, who announced the pick Friday night. And while Celebrini was thrilled to meet a childhood hero, the symbolism was not lost on him.
Celebrini is now cast in the same role that Thornton and Patrick Marleau shared in turning the Sharks into a powerful NHL team.
鈥淚t’s an exciting opportunity,鈥 Celebrini said. 鈥淵ou get to build a group. They have a young core that’s very special. I feel like they’re moving the right direction and building the right way. I’m super excited to join the organization. I can’t wait to see where we’ll go.鈥
It was no surprise that Celebrini went first. He was the consensus top pick across the board. He had 32 goals in 38 games for Boston University and also represented Canada at the world junior championship. Scouts say he is a strong skater with a fluid stride, elusive speed and quickness. He has excellent hockey sense and awareness. He has a knack for getting open and can score.
The Chicago Blackhawks followed the script by taking Belarusian defenceman Artyom Levshunov from Michigan State.
The Anaheim Ducks broke with expectations, taking Oshawa Generals forward Beckett Sennecke third. Sennecke, who played for the 海角社区官网Marlboros of the GTHL, had a look of shock on his face. He hadn’t been rated in the top 10 by most draft lists.
鈥淚 was pretty shocked,鈥 Sennecke said. 鈥淏ut it means the world to me.鈥
Sennecke might be used to the limelight because his mother, Candice Olson, is a former member of the Canadian national volleyball team and a star in her own right with interior design shows on W in Canada and HGTV in the United States.
The six-foot-two right-winger had 28 goals last season in Oshawa, and had a terrific post-season with 22 points in 16 games.
鈥(The Ducks) want someone who (is) going to produce in the playoffs and show up when it matters most and that’s when my season peaked,鈥 Sennecke said. 鈥淚 think I’m a playoff performer and I think that weighed on their decision.鈥
Another plot twist was the choice of the new Utah Hockey Club, who took forward Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets at No. 6. He is the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, who had two goals in the gold-medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the city his son will one day call home.
He was also the first pick of a new team, albeit with contracts transferred from the now defunct Arizona Coyotes.
鈥淚t’s a huge honour,鈥 Iginla said. 鈥淚t would have been surreal to hear my name picked by any team, but to be the first pick of a new franchise is really cool as well.鈥
The draft was held in The Sphere, Vegas’s latest hot-ticket venue featuring next-generation immersive technology. Audience members might have felt small looking up, over and all around at the various pictures, statistics and action before them.
鈥淚t’s a really cool experience,鈥 Celebrini said. 鈥淚t truly is one of a kind with the technology they have here. Just seeing how this place runs, the capabilities it has, it was super cool.鈥
It helped make those on stage look far larger than life.
鈥淚t was unreal,鈥 Iginla said. 鈥淭he Sphere is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The screen wraps around. You’re looking up.鈥
The draft is the last of its kind in terms of having all 32 teams present. Next year, they will make their picks remotely, from their home city, as a means to cut travel time and hotel costs related to such large entourages. The top picks themselves will be part of a smaller television-viewing experience.
The draft is always about more than just the players who get picked. The collection of managers, agents and media all in one place creates its own kind of fervour regarding trades and pending free agents.
The biggest news to emerge on was that the Tampa Bay Lightning appear ready to let captain Steve Stamkos head to free agency.
鈥淭his whole thing is a process,鈥 Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. 鈥淚 know this is a big weekend for management, players, and kids getting drafted. Every team and players in this situation, this stuff happens.鈥
When the Maple Leafs鈥 turn came, they traded their pick, 23rd overall, to Anaheim for the 31st and 58th picks.
The used the 31st pick to select Oshawa defenceman Ben Danford.聽
The Madoc, Ont., native is six-foot-one and, like Easton Cowan last year, wasn’t rated as a first-round pick by most.
But Elite Prospects had him rated 30th. saying Danford 鈥渢hinks the game in a more advanced way than most 鈥 and shows a lot of poise on retrieval, spinning off forecheckers, and attracting them before passing.鈥
He had one goal and 32 assists last season, and represented Canada at the world under-17s and the under-18 Hlinka-Gretzky tournament.
Trade rumours and speculation continued to swirl around Leafs winger Mitch Marner, who is eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
鈥淎ll I’m going to say is we love Mitch,鈥 teammate Auston Matthews said. 鈥淥bviously, there’s a lot of noise revolving around all that, but we love Mitchie. He’s a great person. Great teammate. I can’t speak highly enough about him.鈥
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