Celebrini will make NHL decision 'pretty quick'

Macklin Celebrini was on the ice for the first time as a member of the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. 

The decision on if the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft will play for them this season or return to Boston University is not far behind. 

“Yeah, that’s coming up,” Celebrini told reporters in San Jose on Tuesday. “I’ll make the decision pretty quick here. I’m just trying to enjoy this camp and after that, it’s time to make the decision.”

Celebrini had 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games in his first season at Boston University and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s player in NCAA hockey. His was the first name called at the draft in Las Vegas on Friday, announced by former Sharks forward Joe Thornton, who played 15 seasons with San Jose and will have his No. 19 jersey retired this upcoming season. 

Thornton and former Sharks forward Patrick Marleau were helping out on the first day of development camp, which featured San Jose’s top prospects. 

“That was really cool too, the legends,” Celebrini said. “They’re just here to help and share some of their knowledge because they’ve been around the game for so long, so it was really good to have them out there and give us little pointers.”

San Jose (19-54-9) finished last in the NHL standings last season and won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 24, giving it the No. 1 selection for the first time in franchise history.

Celebrini was considered the consensus No. 1 pick going into the draft and is expected to be a pillar of San Jose’s rebuild.

To help expedite the rebuild, the Sharks signed forward Tyler Toffoli to a four-year, $24-million contract ($6 million average annual value) and forward Alexander Wennberg to a two-year, $10-million contract ($5 million AAV) on the opening day of NHL free agency Monday.

“Those guys have been around the game for so long, and between those two they have a lot of NHL games,” Celebrini said. “Being able to learn from those guys and have them around the locker room, that certainly helps.”

With all the hype surrounding the draft, which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, Celebrini was happy to get back on the ice and begin to build relationships with some of his future teammates.

“It was lots of fun, I feel like it’s only going to get more enjoyable as the week goes on,” Celebrini said. “There’s some special players here, it’s been good to play with them, starting to get to know them a little bit, start to bond with them and see how their game is.”

The Sharks development camp is being run by John McCarthy, coach of the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. He was impressed with Celebrini’s first day.

“It was really good, competitive,” McCarthy said. “It’s hard to tell in these things, it’s a lot of teaching, kind of slow, especially to start the session, but we ramped it up at the end and got into a game and he was super competitive on pucks and that’s what stood out to me the most.

“I think he’s really, really talented, a really good hockey player.”

The development camp was well attended by fans as it was a glimpse into the future for the Sharks led by Celebrini.

“It’s been good, it’s been fun. It’s been a long process throughout the draft and stuff, but now is when all the fun begins, you get to skate, play hockey and have fun with the guys,” Celebrini said. “We’re moving in the right direction, there are so many amazing players getting ready to make their debuts, especially with the signings that we made. It’s an exciting time and I can see why.”