The San Jose Sharks chose center Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday in Las Vegas.

Celebrini, who turned 18 on June 13, was the youngest player in NCAA Division I last season and the youngest to win the Hobey Baker Award after producing 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games at Boston University.

He’s just the fourth freshman to be named the top college player.

Former Sharks star Joe Thornton announced Celebrini as the first pick.

“Just a surreal feeling,” Celebrini said on the ESPN broadcast. “I’ve dreamed about this moment ever since I was a kid and for it to come true, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Celebrini, who is 6-foot, 190 pounds, also starred at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship last winter in Sweden, totaling four goals and four assists in five games for Canada.

Celebrini grew up in Vancouver, B.C., before his family relocated to the Bay Area of California six years ago when his father, Rick Celebrini, accepted a position with the Golden State Warriors as the vice president of player health and performance.

“Off the ice, he is actually an alter ego of himself on the ice,” Rick Celebrini said. “He’s very relaxed and chill, very thoughtful at times. But on the ice, as soon as he steps on the ice, he just changes into competitive, snarling and aggressive.”

The Sharks landed the top pick for the first time in franchise history after finishing with the fewest points in the NHL last season (47).

They fired coach David Quinn six days after the end of the regular season and replaced him with Ryan Warsofsky, who was an assistant coach with San Jose the past two seasons.

–Field Level Media