Editor’s note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to Sharks coverage on NBC Sports California. You can read more of his coverage at San Jose Hockey NowListen to him on San Jose Hockey Now PodcastAnd follow him on Twitter at @xing_ping.
“The Sharks have never had a player and leader of this caliber.”
According to an NHL scout who spoke to San Jose Hockey Now, this is what winning the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday — and making Macklin Celebrini the No. 1 overall pick in June — could mean for the Sharks.
So, could Celebrini have a bigger impact on the series than, say, Joe Thornton?
This scout doesn’t expect Celebrini to score points like Thornton did — his 1,539 Jumbo points are 14th-most in NHL history — but Thornton, the No. 1 pick by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 draft, has had to grow into a top-two center. The road and as a leader during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
There seems to be less of a learning curve Boston University Hubaccording to three NHL scouts outside the Sharks organization who spoke to San Jose Hockey Now.
“Off the ice, his leadership and work ethic will set a championship-caliber tone,” the No. 1 NHL scout said. “It’s the first place that will lead to scoring and winning.”
“He’s going to be more of a role model guy, from what I understand,” the No. 2 NHL scout said. “He plays and leads with effort on the ice, and that carries weight on the bench and in the locker room.”
The No. 3 NHL scout echoed: “[The Sharks will] Get the true NHL No. 1 two-way center. “He’s a really good guy, and his teammates gravitate towards him.”
“Celebrini is the complete package on the ice,” the No. 2 NHL scout said. “This draft class is a little on the weak side, but I think even in other years, he’ll be equally good with other first overall picks, if not better. High skill and IQ, skating, complete attention to detail. 200-foot player. Plays hard.” .
“It’s hard to find any real faults with his game, other than that he’s on the smaller side, even though he’s very strong, at 189 pounds.”
Former Sharks coach David Quinn summed up the potential value of the 6-foot-4 midfielder after the team secured the top prospect in the draft lottery last month.
“[He’s] What [the Sharks] You want to be, as an organization, what the sport requires. “He’s very skilled, but he has the toughness that allows him to be a different type of player,” Quinn said. “When I watch him, I think Jonathan plays a lot more. Maybe a little more skill.”
Toews, a No. 1 center in his own right, has far fewer points than Thornton with 883, but he has scored more than 25 goals in a season eight times, led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles, and won the 2010 Stanley Cup. Conn Smythe Trophy and Silk Trophy 2013.
“[Celebrini] “It immediately puts them on the path to the Stanley Cup,” the No. 1 NHL scout said. “Right now, they don’t have a cup caliber [franchise] Players in my opinion. Mack gives them one to build on.
The No. 3 NHL scout believes Celebrini should free up the entire Sharks offense in the future: “He will open up [Will] Smith to be more offensive and will give [Filip] Bystedt third line mismatch. That’s really good depth up the middle.”
Bystedt was the Sharks’ 2022 first-round pick and Smith was a 2023 first-round pick, so this should be the third straight year general manager Mike Grier has selected his future center in the first round.
Former son. The shark can be the centerpiece of everything.
“Player purchasing procedures and schedule will change immediately,” the No. 1 NHL scout said. “It’s really sad to see what Tank’s presence has become – he could revitalize that over the next decade. He’s become the face of the franchise.”
These are of course very high expectations for a 17-year-old. Rick Celebrini, the son of the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance, will turn 18 on June 13, about two weeks before the first round of the 2024 draft on June 28 in Las Vegas.
“I’ll just be careful [projecting] “How quickly can young players turn things around, because they’ve taken on Buffalo, Edmonton and others,” the No. 3 NHL scout said. [teams] Longer than expected when they are young.
That’s for tomorrow, though. today? Sharks fans should celebrate: MacLean Celebrini is (back) in town.
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