Macklin Celebrini did not stay long with the Canadian senior national team. Despite this, however, his teammates managed to recognize his qualities. The Canadian hockey players certainly did not spare words of praise, Parayko, McBain, Power and Bedard spoke positively about him.
On the night of Wednesday, the San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery, and they will choose from the first position in the selection of rookies in June this year. A hot candidate for this position is Macklin Celebrini, a seventeen-year-old youth who was nominated by Canada for this year’s world championship. However, after the calling of Dubois, Hagel and Paul, he and Fantilli traveled back to Canada.
“Off the ice, he’s a true professional already,” defenseman Colton Parayko said. “It’s crazy. It’s really cool to see that from a guy who played varsity this year. I can’t think of any bad quality he has off the ice. He is obviously a great player on the ice. We can all watch how good he is.”
Seventeen-year-old Celebrini completed his first year in the NCAA, where he wore a Boston University jersey. He collected 64 Canadian points in 38 games and won the Hobey Baker Award for the best player in the university league.
“He looks like a very experienced player,” Utah forward Jack McBain said. “Even in the one game we played, you could see his hockey IQ. You could see his skills, you could see all of his ability and we were all really impressed with him to be able to come on in a match like that when we saw how he performed. In the future, he will definitely be a great player who will shine for a long time. I know he’s a great guy too.”
At the turn of the year, he represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, where he led his team. He scored eight Canadian points in five games, but the Maple Leafs ended up in the quarterfinals. Thanks to his performances, he earned an invitation to the senior national team, with which he trained in Vienna and Budapest before the World Cup.
“I think he’s great,” said Buffalo Sabers guard Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. “I watched him a little bit this year in the college league. I heard about him, I also saw him at the Junior World Championships. He is an exceptional player. Even when I see him here playing and how smart and smart he is, it’s great to see him. He impressed me a lot.’
Connor Bedard, the first pick of the last draft, who will present himself in Prague, also had nice words: “I played with him when I was eight or nine years old, so I always knew him. He was always a really good player. He moved to California around the age of twelve. Then he just grew and developed. It is obvious that he is an exceptional talent. One team will be really lucky to get him and he will dominate the league. It’s exciting to watch his career so far.”
Will Celebrini really be the number one pick in this year’s draft or will there be a surprise? Who the Sharks will select will be known at the end of June.
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Tags: Celebrini caught attention teammates Canadians spare praise
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