Celebrini remains guarded about Sharks future before NHL draft

Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

LAS VEGAS — Macklin Celebrini still is being coy about where he will be selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, where the San Jose Sharks stand ready to pick him No. 1 overall.

“Trying not to get too ahead of ourselves for where I’m going to go,” the 18-year-old Boston University center said at the NHL Draft Prospect Youth Hockey Clinic on Wednesday.

He did admit to chatting with future fellow Sharks prospect Will Smith “a little bit” over the last couple months, but when asked to elaborate, he was guarded.

Celebrini laughed when asked if Smith was putting the full press on him to turn pro. Smith himself said last month that he is leaving Boston College -- BU's Hockey East rival -- for San Jose.

“Not much. Not much,” Celebrini said, when asked what Smith has been saying to try to convince him.

Celebrini said he won’t make a decision about turning pro until he speaks with the team that drafts him.

"It's just something that I can't really make a decision on until the draft happens and I talk to the team that selects me, and then I talk to my coaches at Boston University as well," Celebrini said. "Once those conversations happen, then I'll be set to make a decision."

Don’t worry: The Sharks will select Celebrini No. 1 on Friday night, and San Jose Hockey Now’s sources indicate almost 100 percent that he’s coming out of college and playing pro hockey.

Putting that aside, Celebrini returned to his roots a little Wednesday, participating in a youth hockey clinic at the Vegas Golden Knights’ City National Arena practice facility in Summerlin.

Fellow top 2024 draft prospects Zeev Buium, Artyom Levshunov, Tij Iginla and Cayden Lindstrom joined Celebrini, along with ex-Golden Knight Derek Engelland and NHL Player Inclusion Coalition members Anson Carter, Julie Chu, Georges Laraque, Al Montoya and Anthony Stewart.

Celebrini said the event -- with about 45 youth players, girls and boys ages 5 through 10 -- brought him back to his youth, when it was just about the love of the game.

“I grew up around hockey,” Celebrini said, “playing games with my buddies, competing. Those are the things that made me fall in love with the game.”

Celebrini also had the privilege, as a kid, of being at work with his dad, Rick Celebrini, when he was with the Vancouver Canucks from 2014 to 2018. Since then, Rick has been with the Golden State Warriors, now as the director of sports medicine and performance.

Growing up, Macklin spent time with Canucks stars such as Markus Naslund, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. So, it was important for Celebrini to give his best with the kids Wednesday, providing them tips and feeding them as many slam-dunk passes as he could.

“Means a lot,” Celebrini said. "When I was a kid looking up at NHL players, I know how I would have wanted them to treat me if I ever met them. Giving back and doing that for the kids was really important."

Here are some Celebrini highlights from the event.

Celebrini, sporting his BU No. 71 (for the last time, I wager), had some fun sliding with fellow prospect Buium and Co:

Celebrini gets competitive with the kids and his peers:

Celebrini tries his hand at goaltender:

At the end of the event, all the 2024 draft prospects and the kids gathered for a picture. Celebrini, smartly, did not participate in the “Go Knights, go” chant.

Then, Celebrini was caught off guard by a strange Gila monster -- Vegas' mascot, Chance:

Finally, Celebrini again spoke to the press, gritting and bearing the same questions. Heavy is the head that wears the No. 1 pick crown.

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