It's Official: Macklin Celebrini Celebrates His First NHL Milestone

After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick (as expected) in last month's NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, and then participating in development camp earlier this week, it only took Macklin Celebrini a couple of days to make it official and celebrate his next milestone. He is officially turning pro, and has signed his entry-level contract.

IT'S HAPPENING 👀

2024 first overall #NHLDraft pick Macklin Celebrini has signed his entry-level deal with the @SanJoseSharks! pic.twitter.com/043WO1uoKt
— NHL (@NHL) July 6, 2024

Putting to rest any lingering questions about whether he'd head back to college, the 18-year-old signed his first pro contract, a standard three-year ELC. It includes a $975,000 AAV with a total value of $4.47 million throughout the three years, including bonuses.

#SJSharks GM Mike Grier says the veteran additions + being a more competitive team helped get Celebrini to sign
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) July 7, 2024

Sharks GM Mike Grier said the recent veteran additions like Tyler Toffoli and Barclay Goodrow had a role to play in making Celebrini more comfortable to sign.

"Macklin is not only a special player on the ice, but he is a poised, confident and intelligent young man off of it," Grier said. "His combination of skills and hockey sense is rare, and we are extremely confident that he is ready to make the transition to being a full-time NHL player. We could not be more excited to have Macklin locked in to formally join the Sharks organization for the 2024-25 season."

In his one season at Boston University, he dominated, racking up 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points in just 38 games. He sported a plus/minus rating of +25.

Celebrini became just the fourth freshman in NCAA history to take home the Hober Baker Award as the top college player in hockey.