"Analyzing the Impact of Macklin Celebrini as the No. 1 Overall Pick for the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft"

Despite the anticipation, the suspense was eliminated well in advance when Sharks general manager Mike Grier confirmed over six weeks prior that Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini would be their top pick after winning the lottery in May.

“I would say, I would think so,” Grier said. “Yeah.”

On Friday, there was no hint of nervousness when Joe Thornton, a franchise legend, revealed that the Sharks would start the draft by selecting Celebrini, the winner of last year's Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey. Celebrini joins a franchise whose junior team he played for as recently as 2018 when his father, Rick, joined the Golden State Warriors as director of sports medicine and performance.

“It’s crazy,” Celebrini said on Sportsnet. “Honestly it’s surreal that life came full circle and I’m back to where I was.”

Celebrini’s ascension to No. 1 was followed by Chicago taking Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov second overall and Anaheim taking OHL forward Beckett Sennecke third. The Blue Jackets then took WHL center Cayden Lindstrom fourth, followed by Celine Dion announcing Montreal would select Russian defenseman Ivan Demidov fifth.

It remains uncertain whether Celebrini, who completed his freshman year of college at 17 years old and recently turned 18, will choose to sign with the Sharks or continue his education at BU for another season.

After an impressive season with 32 goals and 32 assists in just 38 games, leading the Terriers to the Frozen Four, there is a valid argument that Celebrini has already surpassed the level of college hockey even before reaching the typical age of most college freshmen. However, the Sharks, currently undergoing a challenging rebuilding phase, will need to carefully consider how to handle Celebrini's development if he begins the season in the NHL.

With only nine forwards under contract and around $30.4 million in salary cap space according to CapFriendly, it is unclear at this point who will be paired with the talented left-handed center if he decides to make the transition. If he were to do so, the Sharks may need to consider acquiring additional talent compared to what they had last season, especially to support the rookie's development as he transitions to competing against seasoned players. Regardless of whether he joins the league right away or not, Celebrini represents a much-needed stroke of luck for a team that has not reached the playoffs since 2019. While he may not be viewed as a generational talent like Connor Bedard was a year ago, Celebrini has received praise for his well-rounded skills and two-way style of play — making him the undisputed top pick in this draft.