There’s a new Bay Area sports star incoming, and it’s a familiar face

For those of you who are San Jose Sharks fans, this is your moment. For those who are not, bear with us. It is worth your time.

The Sharks just came off an NHL-worst 19-win season. They were the first team in a non-shortened season to fail to eclipse the 20-win mark since the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers in 2001-02. Back then, the Anaheim Ducks were called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, which, we can all agree, has exponentially more gravitas.

It’s the Sharks’ second-straight year with the fewest wins in the NHL. Last year they had the fourth-fewest points, and drafted center Will Smith fourth overall. The Chicago Blackhawks won last year’s lottery for generational prospect Connor Bedard, and were hoping, at No. 2, to usurp the Sharks this year.

This time, the Sharks won it. And they have almost certainly won the services of 17-year-old Boston University star Macklin Celebrini. The reason that name may sound familiar? The Warriors’ health wizard and director of sports medicine and performance, Rick Celebrini, is Macklin’s father.

San Jose isn’t new to the Celebrinis. When Macklin Celebrini was 13, he spent a year playing for the Jr. Sharks ( clip here ) after Rick Celebrini was initially hired by the Warriors. It’s a full-circle moment for the Canadian prospect, who is going to be welcomed by the Warriors. See, this clip from Draymond Green talking about the chance to watch Macklin Celebrini play in Chicago in January of 2023.

“I got a chance to see a generational talent play before everybody else of the generation even realized he’s generational,” Green said.

When you watch Celebrini play, you see an outrageously talented skater who can glide and cut through defenses. He pairs that with top-tier dexterity and stick skills to put points up in gluts.

Sharks general manager Chris Grier all but stated explicitly that the Sharks will draft Celebrini, as has been the presumption. The 6-foot, 190-pound freshman center won the Hobey Baker award for the best college hockey player, after a season with 64 points (third-most, with 32 goals, 32 assists). While he could, theoretically, return to college, that seems unlikely.

San Jose also owns the 14th overall pick, in the hopes of further sparking the rebuild around a very young, promising core. After five-straight years of missing the postseason, following a run of 19 playoff appearances in 21 years, Celebrini is the jolt the Sharks hope will bring them back.