The San Jose Sharks had the ping-pong balls bounce their way on Tuesday during the NHL draft lottery in Secaucus, New Jersey.
In a potentially franchise-altering moment, the Sharks won the draft lottery and will have the first overall selection in the NHL Draft for the first time in franchise history. The draft will take place June 28-29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The Sharks will use the No. 1 overall pick on Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, the former Jr. Sharks standout and NHL-ready forward widely considered the best player in this year’s draft.
“It’s a big moment for the organization and the fans here to be able to have the opportunity to draft someone like Macklin,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier told ESPN. “It was a tough year for us and to have this opportunity, we couldn’t be more excited.
“He’s a Terrier, too,” added Grier, a proud BU alum.
“Obviously, San Jose is an amazing organization,” Celebrini told ESPN. “It’s pretty cool.”
By finishing with the NHL’s worst record at 19-54-9, the Sharks had the greatest chance of winning at 25.5%, and could fall no further than third overall. San Jose had never won the draft lottery or selected first overall in its 33 years as a franchise.
The Sharks also had an 18.8% chance of having the second overall pick and a 55.7% chance of getting the third overall selection.
While Grier said last month that he and others in the organization were excited about having a top-three draft pick this year, Tuesday’s lottery result has to be met with unparalleled excitement — both in the team’s front office and among its fan base.
While the Sharks have greatly enhanced their prospect pool in recent years, Celebrini will be the crown jewel.
“If I’m fortunate enough to get drafted there,” Celebrini said of the Sharks, “I’d be very lucky.”
Celebrini, 17, has drawn comparisons to former Chicago Blackhawks captain and three-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Toews. His Bay Area ties make him a natural fit with the team, which is looking to generate more buzz in the market after three straight years of depressed home attendance.
Celebrini is the son of Dr. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance. After he and his family moved to Northern California from Vancouver, Macklin Celebrini played one year with the Jr. Sharks in 2019-2020 and then moved to play at Shattuck-St. Mary’s is a college prep boarding school that counts several NHL stars past and present among its alumni.
After a year in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, Celebrini committed to Boston University, Grier’s alma mater. He finished this past season with 64 points in 38 games and was named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player last month.
“He’s a 200-foot player, which is rare for someone who is as offensively gifted as he is,” Grier said. “As a 17-year-old, he plays a real complete game on both ends of the ice. He cares, and I love his competitiveness.
“Watch him practice. Every drill, he goes as hard as he can. He wants to win every puck battle. He’s a unique player at his age. He plays a full, complete game. We’re really excited.”
Tuesday’s lottery determined the selection order for this year’s first 16 picks. One lottery drawing determined which team drafted first, and the second determined which team had the second overall pick.
The Chicago Blackhawks, who had a 13.5% chance of winning the lottery, will draft second overall, and the Anaheim Ducks, at 11.5% odds, will have the No. 3 selection.
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For each of the two drawings, 14 ping pong balls, numbered 1 through 14, were placed in a lottery machine. That allowed for 1,001 possible combinations (one combination is deleted to make it an even 1,000). Each lottery team was assigned a certain number of four-number combinations, and the Sharks had 185 combinations, more than any other team.
The lottery machine selected four balls, and the resulting four-number series was matched against a chart showing every possible combination. The team that had that combination won the lottery.
Please check back for updates to this developing story.