Macklin Celebrini

Macklin Celebrini (born June 13, 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college hockey for the Boston University Terriers. During his freshman season he won the Hobey Baker Award, becoming the youngest player to win the award. Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

Amateur
Celebrini played minor hockey in Vancouver until his father accepted a job in the U.S. and the family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He signed with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the 2022–23 USHL season after scoring 50 goals and 67 assists in 52 games playing for Shattuck-Saint Mary's. He quickly earned a hat trick and was named USHL's forward of the week. Celebrini ultimately posted 86 points during the season, leading the USHL, and the most-ever by an under-17 player in USHL history. After helping the Steel reach the USHL's Eastern Conference Finals, Celebrini was named Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Forward of the Year, becoming only the second USHL player to win all three awards, and the first to do so in a single season. Additionally, Celebrini was named to the All-USHL and All-Rookie first teams.

Celebrini committed to play for Boston University starting in the 2023–24 season, playing alongside his older brother Aiden. During his freshman year he recorded 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games. Following an outstanding season he was named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Scoring Champion and won the Hockey East Three-Stars Award. He also won the Hobey Baker Award. At 17, he became the youngest player to win the award and the fourth freshman, following Paul Kariya in 1993, Jack Eichel in 2015 and Adam Fantilli in 2023.

San Jose Sharks (2024–present)
Celebrini was drafted first overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft by the San Jose Sharks. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sharks on July 6, 2024.

International play
Celebrini made his international debut for Canada with the under-17 team in the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, The following year, he was named to the national under-18 team for the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships. Team Canada reached the bronze medal match, where Celebrini scored the medal-winning goal in overtime against Slovakia. He then moved up to play with the national junior team at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Celebrini led the team in scoring with four goals and four assists, though the tournament ended in disappointment for Team Canada, which was ousted in the quarter-final by the Czech Republic.

Following the conclusion of his debut collegiate season, Celebrini accepted an invitation to make his senior national team debut at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. However, he was subsequently dropped from the roster in advance of the tournament, with the addition of a number of more experienced NHL players whose teams were ousted in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Personal life
Celebrini is a fan of his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. His father, Rick, was a soccer player for the Vancouver 86ers and later worked for the Canucks. He was later hired by the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as their director of sports medicine and performance. Celebrini's older brother, Aiden, was drafted by the Canucks in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2023 NHL entry draft. The two brothers played together for the Boston University Terriers for the 2023-2024 college season.