2024 NHL Draft Lottery tonight, projected No. 1 pick Celebrini to attend 

Macklin Celebrini said he's "curious" to see what team will win the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery.

He's so interested, he will be there in person to witness it.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft will be at the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Tuesday (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) when his NHL future is decided.

He was in Budapest, Hungary practicing with Canada ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship but will not make the team and was sent back to North America Tuesday.

"I know the NHL Draft Lottery is going to happen soon and, like anyone else, I'm curious," Celebrini wrote in his blog for NHL.com on April 26. "As is the case in any other year, you want to see it. I've grown up watching the draft and watching these prospects so in that sense I don't think it's any different, but I am curious to see how it all unfolds."

The San Jose Sharks are hoping it unfolds in their favor. They are one of 11 NHL teams who can win the right to select Celebrini at No. 1. The 17-year-old Boston University forward was No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2024 draft and the projected top pick.

San Jose has the best odds of winning the lottery at 18.5 percent after finishing last in the NHL standings (19-54-9). General manager Mike Grier played three seasons at Boston University (1993-96). His teammate was current BU coach Jay Pandolfo, so Grier is very aware of Celebrini.

"I don't have a good luck charm (to hold during the lottery) so if you have one, I'll take it," Grier said during the Sharks' breakup day April 20. "The draft is going to be a big part of our rebuild. We should have four picks in the top 50, so hopefully we hit on these players."

The Sharks could have two picks in the top 16, their own and the Pittsburgh Penguins' selection (top 10 protected), which was acquired as part of the trade for defenseman Erik Karlsson on Aug. 6, 2023. If the Penguins' pick is in the top 10, it would stay with Pittsburgh and San Jose instead would receive Pittsburgh's unprotected first-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who were 31st in the standings (23-53-6), will have the second-best odds at 13.5 percent, followed by the Anaheim Ducks (27-50-5) at 11.5 percent.

The Blackhawks won the lottery last season and selected forward Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick.

"Cool moment for him," Bedard told NHL.com in Budapest on Monday. "We're all looking forward [to it]. I think we'll all probably stay up and watch it. It's going to be fun."

Celebrini was the youngest player in NCAA Division I men's hockey this season and the youngest to win the Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the top NCAA men's hockey player. He finished second in the NCAA with 32 goals and third with 64 points in 38 games.

He was also named Hockey East Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, joining Jack Eichel (2015), Paul Kariya (1993) and Brian Leetch (1987) as the only players to win the awards in the same season.

"[Celebrini's] a special player and he belongs in that special category because in every environment, every situation he goes in, he can excel and that's hard to do as a 17-year-old," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said.

The lottery will set the order for the first 16 picks for the teams that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2024 draft will reportedly be held at Sphere in Las Vegas with the first round June 28, and rounds 2-7 on June 29.

There will be two drawings, one for the No. 1 pick and one for the No. 2 pick. Once the two top picks have been established, the remaining teams will be assigned Nos. 3-16 based on inverse order of the final regular-season standings.

Additionally, teams only can move up 10 selections if it wins one of the draws. Only the top 11 teams in the lottery are eligible to receive the No. 1 selection in the 2024 draft.

Teams that don't get the first pick will still have plenty of talent to choose from, including Michigan State University freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, No. 4 on Central Scouting's final ranking, and defenseman Zayne Parekh (No. 5) of Saginaw in the Western Hockey League.

"Levshunov might be the most NHL-ready player in this draft class; a great combination of the physical maturity and composure with the way he plays the game," Marr said. "Buium doesn't know when to quit; he just keeps going and the consistency as a freshman, taking over as one of their top players, has been truly impressive."

Parekh, who moved up from No. 10 in the midterm rankings, set Saginaw records for goals (33) and points (96) by a defenseman in 66 regular-season games.

Additionally, center Cayden Lindstrom of Medicine Hat in the Western Hockey League is No. 3 on Central Scouting's list. He's been trending positively since returning to the lineup March 29 after missing 36 regular-season games while recovering from surgery for an upper-body injury.

The two top players on Central Scouting's final ranking of international skaters could also be chosen among the top six selections: defenseman Anton Silayev of Torpedo in the Kontinental Hockey League, and forward Ivan Demidov of St. Petersburg in Russia's minor hockey league.

Odds to win the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery:

San Jose Sharks 18.5 percent

Chicago Blackhawks 13.5 percent

Anaheim Ducks 11.5 percent

Columbus Blue Jackets 9.5 percent

Montreal Canadiens 8.5 percent

Utah 7.5 percent

Ottawa Senators 6.5 percent

Seattle Kraken 6.0 percent

Calgary Flames 5.0 percent

New Jersey Devils 3.5 percent

Buffalo Sabres 3.0 percent

Philadelphia Flyers 2.5 percent

Minnesota Wild 2.0 percent

Pittsburgh Penguins 1.5 percent

Detroit Red Wings 0.5 percent

St. Louis Blues 0.5 percent

NHL.com independent correspondent Aaron Vickers contributed to this report