Macklin Celebrini has been pegged as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for well over a year, but what kind of pressure does that put on the 18-year-old phenom?
During an interview on the "NHL Draft Class" podcast, Celebrini explained how he has been able to handle the massive expectations, citing the importance of having a strong support group around him.
"I had an amazing group around me this whole year," Celebrini shared. "My family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches. I had a lot of people I could kind of lean on and ask questions to throughout this process. Obviously, no matter where you are, no matter where you play, you're always going to have pressure. Different pressure, different expectations. The most important thing is doing whatever you can on the ice. As long as you take care of that, I feel like everything else takes care of itself.
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"That's kind of what I tried to focus on the most, whatever I can do on the ice, just do to the best of my ability and everything else will kind of figure itself out. "
Celebrini is good friends with Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard -- who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft -- and his brother Aiden was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round last year.
When asked if Celebrini has leaned on anyone who has experienced the draft process he currently finds himself in the midst of, the young center detailed the advice he has received about transitioning to the NHL
"Yeah I've talked to a couple guys about it," Celebrini explained. "They said nothing to really worry about, they said, 'You should just be fit, strong and ready for it anyways whether you prepare for it or not, you should be kind of in shape and ready by this point.' They said, 'Just do your best.' They didn't much worry in my head."
San Jose Sharks
While nothing is official, it is all but certain the Sharks will select Celebrini No. 1 overall when the 2024 NHL Draft kicks off on June 28. San Jose's future largely will be determined by Celebrini's success moving forward, but the 18-year-old remains calm, cool and collected as he prepares to bear the brunt of such heavy expectations at such a young age.
For now, Celebrini is focused on what he can control, displaying an encouraging level of maturity that is required to be the franchise centerpiece the Sharks will need him to be moving forward.
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