How Macklin Celebrini, Likely No. 1 Draft Pick, Outperforms Sharks, According to NHL Scouts – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Editor’s note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can learn more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

“The Sharks have never had a player and leader of this caliber.”

According to an NHL scout who spoke to San Jose Hockey Now, that’s what winning Tuesday’s 2024 NHL Draft — and making Macklin Celebrini the No. 1 overall pick in June — could mean for the Sharks .

So, could Celebrini have more of an impact on the franchise than, say, even Joe Thornton?

This scout doesn’t anticipate Celebrini putting up points like Thornton did — Jumbo’s 1,539 points are 14th in NHL history — but Thornton, the Boston Bruins’ No. 1 pick in the draft 1997, had to become a better two. -way center and as a leader during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

There appears to be less of a learning curve for the Boston University center, according to three NHL scouts outside the Sharks organization who spoke to San Jose Hockey Now.

“Off the ice, his leadership and work ethic will set the tone for a championship,” said the No. 1 NHL scout. “He is a No. 1 center who will be the driving force behind goals and victories.”

“From what I understand, he’s going to be more of a lead-by-example guy,” the NHL’s No. 2 scout said. “Plays and leads with his effort on the ice, and that takes its toll on the bench and in the locker room.”

The No. 3 NHL scout echoed this: “(The Sharks will get) a true No. 1 two-way center in the NHL. He is a very good person and his teammates gravitate around him.

“Celebrini is the complete package on the ice,” said the NHL’s No. 2 scout. “This draft class is a little weak, but I think even in other years he’s going to compare well to other first overall picks, if not better. High skill and IQ, skating, full attention to detail. 200 foot player. Play hard.

“It’s hard to find any real flaws in his game, other than the fact that he’s smaller, although he’s quite sturdy, listed at 189 pounds.”

Former Sharks coach David Quinn summed up the 6-foot center’s potential value after the team earned top odds in the draft lottery last month.

“(He is) what (the Sharks) want to be as an organization, what the sport demands. He has a very high skill set, but he has a toughness that allows him to be a different type of player,” Quinn said. “When I look at him, I think a lot of Jonathan Toews. Maybe a little more skill.

Toews, a number one center in his own right, had far fewer points than Thornton with 883, but he scored more than 25 goals in a season eight times, led the Chicago Blackhawks to three championships in Stanley Cup and won the Stanley Cup in 2010. Conn Smythe Trophy and 2013 Selke Trophy.

“(Celebrini) puts them on the path to the Stanley Cup right away,” the NHL’s No. 1 scout said. “Right now, they don’t have any Cup-caliber (franchise) players, in my opinion. Mack gives them one to fall back on.

The No. 3 NHL scout believes Celebrini should free up the entire Sharks offense of the future: “He would allow (Will) Smith to be more offensive and give (Filip) Bystedt some mismatch on the third line. It’s very good depth in the middle.

Bystedt was the Sharks’ 2022 first-round pick and Smith was their 2023 first-round pick, so this should be the third straight year that general manager Mike Grier selects his center of the future in the first round.

The ex-Jr. Shark could be the lynchpin in all of this.

“Their player acquisition actions and timeline would change immediately,” the NHL’s No. 1 scout said. “It’s really sad to see how busy the Tank is – it could boost this for the next decade and more.” He becomes the face of the franchise.

These are, of course, huge expectations for a 17 year old. The son of Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini turns 18 on June 13, about two weeks before the first round of the 2024 draft on June 28 in Las Vegas.

“I would just be cautious about how quickly young players change the game,” said the NHL’s No. 3 scout, “because it took Buffalo, Edmonton and other (teams) more longer than expected when they became young.”

But that’s for tomorrow. Today? Sharks fans should celebrate: Macklin Celebrini is coming (back) to town.

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