As the top prospect for the 2024 NHL draft after last year’s Connor Bedard-mania, Macklin Celebrini stands to be a superstar for years to come and deserves more hype.

Macklin Celebrini

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Rarely has the sporting world been understated when it comes to The Next Big Thing, but that very well may have been the case with Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini.

The top prospect for the upcoming 2024 NHL draft just happens to have come along one season after Connor Bedard-mania, and because 2023’s No. 1 pick was so special, the Chicago Blackhawks rookie continued to dominate prospect conversations even after he began his NHL journey.

So, let’s right that wrong and give Celebrini his due props.

“I think there’s a Bedard hangover, because this guy is incredible,” said one scout. “The hockey sense, the skill, the puck protection and second effort. What I hear about his work habits. He’s outperforming guys in college already. For me, he’s a clear-cut, no-one’s-even-close-to-challenging-him No. 1.”

And if you need some empirical evidence, Celebrini finished his freshman season in college hockey by winning the Hobey Baker Award as the best men’s player in the nation. The most stunning part? He was still 17 when he received the honor, making him the youngest player ever to clinch the Hobey.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” said Celebrini that night. “Getting such a prestigious award means a lot, and it’s just a whirlwind right now.”

The Hobey was the culmination of an incredible season for Celebrini, who tallied 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games for the Terriers while helping them to the Frozen Four semifinal. The fact he was even in university at 17 is pretty stunning, but talk to those who know him best and you’ll realize this kid is driven in a way that only the best are.

Celebrini was born and raised in Vancouver, the second of Rick and Robyn Celebrini’s four children. Older brother Aiden is a Vancouver Canucks draft pick and his teammate at BU, while younger brother R.J. is already turning heads in the hockey world at 12. Sister Charlie is a youth tennis star. Macklin showed his intensity early in the household.

“He was very high-energy,” Robyn said. “Very kinesthetic. He had a lot of energy and, honestly, as long as you channeled it in a positive way, he was great. He locked onto hockey and soccer right away, and when he latches onto something, he is so laser-focused, and he has that drive.”

When Celebrini was four, that drive first became apparent in a game where he lost the puck in front of the opposing net. The opposing player was already at the blueline when Celebrini took chase, eventually diving on his belly to swipe the puck away at the last second. By six, he was directing traffic on faceoffs.

Since Aiden is only 19 months older, Macklin always had someone to compete with, and the family basement featured a little synthetic ice rink where the two would play together for hours, scrapping as siblings often do.

“He was a handful at times because he was so intense and had so much energy,” Rick said. “Sometimes, he would get in trouble because of that. So, it’s interesting to see how he matured because he channeled that into sport. That’s where it manifests itself. He has a discipline, and he’s actually far more relaxed and chill now. He almost doesn’t seem like the same person off the ice, but on the ice, he’s still that same kid who won’t give an inch and competes his butt off.”

At this point, it’s probably important to note that Rick knows a thing or two about elite athletes: he’s the director of sports medicine and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. That led to the family moving to Northern California when Macklin was 13, where he suited up for the San Jose Jr. Sharks. But the local competition just wasn’t enough for the young phenom, so he and Aiden decamped to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the famous Minnesota prep school. By the time he was 15, Macklin was on the school’s U-18 team, leading the squad in scoring with 117 points in 52 games.

After that, he signed a tender agreement with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, which meant that Chicago would surrender its first-round pick in that year’s draft in exchange for the guarantee that Celebrini would play in at least 55 percent of the team’s games. Celebrini immediately led the USHL in scoring, becoming just the third skater to win rookie of the year and player of the year in the same season.

While he could have returned to Chicago this year, Celebrini wanted to push himself. He wanted to go straight to Boston University.

This is an excerpt from Ryan Kennedy’s cover feature of Celebrini in The Hockey News’ Draft Preview. To read the full article, including how “he pissed a lot of guys off” at the first day of training camp at Boston University with his compete level, it’s all available to you with a subscription at THN.com/Free. Your subscription includes access to more than 76 years of exclusive articles at The Hockey News Archive.