Russian forward Ivan Demidov was selected fifth by the Habs.
It’s none other than Celine Dion who made the big announcement in the Las Vegas sphere.
A little later, Hughes had the chance to draft another forward: center Michael Hage.
Celebrini au 1er rang sans surprises
Macklin Celebrini is now part of the San Jose Sharks organization.
As expected, the California team selected the Canadian center first overall in the National Hockey League draft on Friday.
“It’s a pretty great feeling,” said the six-foot, 200-pound athlete. I’ve dreamed of it since I was little.”
A British Columbian, Celebrini had 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games for Boston University last season.
He became the youngest winner of the Hobey Baker Trophy, awarded to the best player in the NCAA.
The honor has gone to a rookie on only four occasions.
The 18-year-old hockey player from North Vancouver knows Northern California well: his family moved there when his father Rick accepted a job with the Golden State Warriors in 2018. He was in charge of sports medicine there.
The Sharks held the first overall pick in a draft for the first time in their history. They have gone second overall three times, including drafting Patrick Marleau in 1997.
Celebrini may play another season with BU, but at the very least he adds to the prospects of the Sharks, who have been eliminated from the playoffs every year since 2020.
“Their young core is very special,” Celebrini said. “I think they’re on the right track and building the right way. I’m absolutely thrilled to join the organization.”
A report from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau describes him as “a high-caliber skater with a smooth stride, elusive speed and quickness. He excels at one-timers on the power play and plays the complete game in a very alert manner.”
The pick was announced by former Sharks star Joe Thornton, the first overall pick in the 1997 draft (by Boston).
Going second, the Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov of Michigan State.
In third place, the Anaheim Ducks drafted forward Beckett Sennecke from the Oshawa Generals.
“I didn’t foresee this scenario,” said Sennecke, ranked 11th best North American skater. I was very surprised.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets followed up with center Cayden Lindstrom of the Medicine Hat Tigers, then the Montreal Canadiens set their sights on Russian winger Ivan Demidov.
The Utah team then chose center Tij Iginla from the Kelowna Rockets. He is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.
The rest of the top 10: Carter Yakemchuk (Ottawa), Berkly Catton (Seattle), Zayne Parekh (Calgary) and Anton Silayev (New Jersey).
See the details of the first round of the draft right here:
1 – San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini (A)
2 – Blackhawks de Chicago: Artyom Levshunov (D)
3 – Ducks d’Anaheim: Beckett Sennecke (A)
4 – Blue Jackets de Columbus: Cayden Lindstrom (A)
5 – Montreal Canadiens: Ivan Demidov (A)
6 – Utah: Tij Iginla (A)
7 – Ottawa Senators: Carter Yakemchuk (D)
8 – Kraken de Seattle: Berkly Catton (A)
9 – Calgary Flames: Zayne Parekh (D)
10 – New Jersey Devils: Anton Silayev (D)
11 – San Jose Sharks: Sam Dickinson (R)
12 – Minnesota Wild: Zeev Buium (D)
13 – Philadelphia Flyers: Jett Luchanko (A)
14 – Sabers de Buffalo: Konsta Helenius (A)
15 – Red Wings de Detroit: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (A)
16 – Blues de St. Louis: Adam Jiricek (D)
17 – Washington Capitals: Terik Parascak (A)
18 – Blackhawks de Chicago: Sacha Boisvert (A)
19 – Golden Knights de Vegas: Trevor Connelly (A)
20 – Islanders de New York: Cole Eiserman (A)
21 – Montreal Canadiens: Michael Hage (A)
22 – Predators de Nashville: Egor Surin (A)
23 – Ducks d’Anaheim: Stian Solberg (D)
24 – Utah: Cole Beaudoin (A)
25 – Boston Bruins: Dean Letourneau (A)
26 – Kings of Los Angeles: Liam Greentree (A)
27 – Blackhawks de Chicago: Marek Vanacker (A)
28 – Flames de Calgary: Matvei Gridin (A)
29 – Stars de Dallas: Emil Hemming (A)
30 – Rangers de New York: Ej Emery (D)
31 – Toronto Maple Leafs: Ben Danford (D)
32 – Oilers d’Edmonton: Sam O’Reilly (A)
Rounds 2 to 7 will be presented on Saturday.
-With information from The Canadian Press
