Celebrini Excited To Join Rebuild, Not Learn What Zillow Is

It’s been a whirlwind last two couple days for Celebrini.

Celebrini was in Europe, set to play for Team Canada at the World Championships in Czechia. But then, veterans Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nick Paul, and Brandon Hagel, just eliminated from the playoffs, were added to the squad, and the 17-year-old phenom, along with 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, were dropped from the roster.

Celebrini, on the way home, stopped by Secaucus for the 2024 Draft Lottery. He shared that he had literally landed in New Jersey just a couple hours before.

The surefire No. 1 pick was greeted with good news – the San Jose Sharks, essentially his adopted hometown team, had won the first-overall selection.

Celebrini’s father, Rick Celebrini, has been the director of sports medicine and performance for the Golden State Warriors since 2018, Macklin Celebrini played for the Jr. Sharks in 2019-20, and the Celebrini family, originally from Vancouver, resides in Livermore.

“Obviously, anything can happen and whatever happens, happens in June, but if I get selected there, [there’s] excitement,” he told the small assemblage of media at the Draft Lottery. “If I’m fortunate enough to go there, that’ll definitely be a perk, being close to home.”

The Boston University freshman, after scoring 64 points and playing a strong two-way game, had just won the Hobey Baker Award for best college hockey player.

Next stop, the NHL and the San Jose Sharks? Celebrini says he isn’t sure, he won’t decide until after the 2024 NHL Draft, set for Jun. 28-29 in Las Vegas, whether he’s staying in school.

But whatever he decides, he’s excited to join a rebuilding organization.

“You watched it with Connor [Bedard] last year, talking to him and the other top prospects that have done it before him, it’s a unique situation, just going into that,” he said of the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2023 first-overall pick. “But it’s cool just being along for that rebuild and building something special.”

And he could be building something special with the San Jose Sharks’ fourth-overall pick last season, Will Smith, who he’s played against the last two years.

“If I go there, that’d be an amazing opportunity to play with a player like that,” Celebrini said, of his fellow freshman who led the NCAA with 71 points. “What he did this year was pretty special. and I’ve seen it for a couple years now. So to be able to play with him, that’d be a pretty cool opportunity.”

But right now, at this moment?

Celebrini said he was going to take a nap, happy the Draft Lottery is over, happy he probably doesn’t have to figure out where he’s living in the coming years.