Editor's Note: 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.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Fitness testing at the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine didn’t start the way that Macklin Celebrini wanted.
First up were measurements, and Celebrini, listed at 6-foot, came up just short at 5-foot-11…and 3/4 inches.
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Round up, kid.
“Oh, so close. Kind of disappointed,” Celebrini said, shaking his head in mock frustration.
The Sharks' soon-to-be No. 1 overall draft pick did over a dozen tests: Y-Balance, Grip Strength, VO2, Standing Height, Wingspan, Horizontal Jump, Vertical Jump, No Arm Jump, Squat Jump, Bench Press, Pro Agility Test, Pull Ups and the Wingate Test.
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Most of these tests were open to the media.
Here’s video from each public test, and how Celebrini compared. The NHL releases the top-25 for each test publicly, except for Y-Balance.
VO2 testing was yesterday, and Celebrini graded high in that Aerobic Fitness test, 24th in Test Duration (12:35) and fourth in V02max (63.0).
Celebrini didn’t rank for either Left or Right Hand Grip.
His 7.64 body fat percentage was excellent, 20th at the combine.
Anyway, don’t get too worried about these individual results. The future face of the Sharks franchise is the sum of all his parts, if anything.
The most important thing is that he’s a spectacular hockey player.
“Got a lot of stuff to improve on, I realize,” Celebrini said.
Don’t worry about it, Macklin.
Standing Height/Wingspan
Celebrini was visibly disappointed to measure just under 6-foot, at 5-foot-11 and 3/4 inches. He did come in heavier than his listed 190 pounds, at 197.
His wingspan did not make the top 25.
Horizontal Jump
Celebrini managed a 97.75 inch jump, looking perhaps below-average here. Defenseman EJ Emery led the pack with a 123.0.
Vertical Jump/No Arm Jump/Squat Jump
One Celebrini jump measured 15.81 inches, a far cry from leader Emery’s Vertical Jump (27.23) and No Arm Jump (23.57). Forward Jack Pridham led the way with a 19.52 Squat Jump.
This casts doubt on Celebrini’s claim about his basketball skills.
“I think it's pretty good,” Celebrini said.
However, his dad Rick Celebrini, Golden State Warriors director of sport medicine and performance, was a little more critical.
“But every time I play and he watches,” Macklin said, “he says I'm a hockey player playing basketball.”
Bench Press
Celebrini is said to be physically mature for his age, 18 on June 13, and his 6.51 Bench Press Power score seems to be proof of that.
That put him 20th.
Pro Agility Test
Here’s another area of potential improvement for Celebrini, who went 4.8 seconds to his left and 4.73 seconds to his right. Defenseman Stian Solberg blew everyone away with a 4.12 to his left and a 4.08 to his right.
Pull Ups
Celebrini, however, was solid here, reaching double-digit pull-ups with 10.
Eleven would’ve got Celebrini into the top 25. Defenseman Zeev Buium led the way with 16.
“I wanted to try to go,” Celebrini said about the elusive No. 11. “But I had nothing left.”
Wingate Test
The Wingate is an anaerobic fitness test, measuring power and a player's fatigue.
Celebrini didn’t make the top 25 in two of the three categories, Mean Power Output (center Jett Luchanko, 12.9) and Peak Power Output (forward AJ Spellacy, 18.3).
Celebrini generated a below-average 13.4 Peak Power.
However, Celebrini scored well in the Fatigue Index, his 47.0 ranking 19th.
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