Sharks win draft lottery, will take NCAA star Celebrini No. 1
NEW YORK — Mike Grier was so elated over winning the NHL draft lottery on Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks general manager dispensed with tradition by coming out and stating exactly who he expects to select with the No. 1 pick: Boston University centre Macklin Celebrini.
Where past GMs in Grier’s position have kept their choice under wraps until they step to the podium on draft day, Macklin’s abilities and ties to San Jose were too much to keep it a secret for a Sharks team looking ahead to a brighter future.
“I think so, yeah,” Grier said when asked if he anticipates using the top pick on the 17-yearold forward, college hockey’s youngest Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner and NHL Scouting Bureau’s top-ranked prospect. “It’s a big moment for the organization and the fans here to have the opportunity to draft someone like Macklin.”
Grier then went so far as to envision where Celebrini will fit into his lineup to complement the Sharks veteran centres of Logan Couture and Mikael Granlund.
Suddenly, the sting of finishing last in the overall standings, a yearlong rebuilding process that led to San Jose trading aging stars such as Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns and firing coach David Quinn, has been replaced by a buoyant sense of hope.
“It’s been a tough year for fans and the team and the players. So this is a nice prize for what we went through,” said Grier, who’s Sharks are scheduled to pick first in the NHL draft for the first time in franchise history. “I think he’s got the ability to play [right away].”
Though from North Vancouver, Celebrini is no stranger to the Bay Area or Grier, who also played at Boston University.
Celebrini’s father, Rick Celebrini, is currently vicepresident of player health and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the youngster spent a year playing for the Sharks’ junior team.
“Obviously, they’re a great organization. If I’m fortunate enough to get drafted there, I’d be very lucky,” the younger Celebrini said.
With an 18.5% chance to win the lottery, the Sharks became the third last-place team in the past four drawings to win the lottery.
The lottery proved anticlimactic with no changes to the draft order for the first time since 2010.
The Chicago Blackhawks, who selected Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick last year, retained the No. 2 selection, followed by the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL’s newest market, Utah, stayed put at No. 6. Salt Lake City landed an NHL franchise with the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes .
The Montreal Canadiens are in the No. 5 slot, while the Ottawa Senators have the No. 7 pick and the Calgary Flames are at No. 9.
The league on Tuesday also announced what has been in the works for some time: the draft will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas June 28 and 29.
Celebrini completed a season in which he finished third among Division I skaters with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 68 games and earned both Hockey East’s player and rookie of the year honours. Listed at six-feet and 190 pounds, he has the opportunity to become just the fourth NCAA player to be selected first overall.