LAKE ELMO, Minn. -- Macklin Celebrini is finding it difficult to wait for his first NHL training camp with the San Jose Sharks next month.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” the 18-year-old center and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft said at the Hobey Baker Memorial Tournament at Royal Golf Club on Thursday. “I was actually thinking about their prospect pool and how they made those additions, and how great of players those guys are. And the people they have in the front office, I couldn’t be more excited."
The 2024 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey, Celebrini signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks on July 6, forgoing his sophomore season at Boston University. Since development camp in San Jose from July 2-4, he has been training at home in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
“I feel like they’re really going in the right direction and I’m just excited for what the future holds,” he said of his new team.
The Sharks are focused on flipping the script after finishing last in the NHL (19-54-9) in 2023-24 and failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season. Besides Celebrini, they made several significant additions, signing forwards Tyler Toffoli (four-year contract) and Alex Wennberg (two years) on July 1 and claiming two-time Stanley Cup winning forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the New York Rangers on June 24.