F Macklin Celebrini (2024, 1st, SJS)

[beachcomber]

I'll take Eiserman all day every day

Of course you would, he's American.

 

[Dominance]

I'll take Eiserman all day every day

Celebrini has had the edge every step of the way so far, and is a far superior two-way player, and is the better all-around skater, and is a projected centre.

Eiserman is fantastic but it’s difficult to see a situation where he is selected ahead of Celebrini unless the latter struggles considerably in college.

 

[newmanager]

Celebrini has improved his game in leaps and bounds since he and Eiserman played together on the same line during the 2021/2022 season. Celebrini wants the puck so bad and always seems to have it and has some pretty good creativity with it. All his other skills are top notch.

Eiserman has also gotten a lot better. Eiserman is an opportunist. Doesn't have the puck as much but give him the puck in the offensive zone and he'll put it in the net.

Personally I'd choose Celebrini without any hesitation.

These are their stats from Shattuck 2021/22

Celebrini GP 52 G 50 A 67 Pts 117 Pim 44
Eiserman GP 53 G 56 A 30 Pts 86 Pim 44

 

[Habitant#1]

So the Habs stuffed up their 2023 tank as well as their draft pick.
I am now here for some copium, on to 2024!

"Tankin' for Macklin!" - how's that sound?

 

[Mathieukferland]

Connor Bedard, selected No. 1 by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 draft, has played with Celebrini. Each is from Vancouver.

"I played with him and his brother as well ... Mack is a special player," Bedard said. "What he did this year was remarkable. He's always been super good, so to kind of see him grow and see the steps he's taken in his career, it's exciting to know him and have that relationship with him. I'm really excited for him, and there's so many good things about his game, you can go on forever."

 

[Hodge]

Former Jr. Shark, hopefully future San Jose Shark.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

So the Habs stuffed up their 2023 tank as well as their draft pick.
I am now here for some copium, on to 2024!

"Tankin' for Macklin!" - how's that sound?

Hmmm awful...

Doesn't rhyme lol

 

[SI90]

“Play like weenies for Celebrini”

 

[Fraser28]

What kind of potential do we see here? Can he be in the Fantilli tier, or is that unlikely / a bit too high?

 

[Sasso09]

Of course you would, he's American.

Literally has nothing to do with the equation.. never does with me. I just think he's the better player. Loosen up on the inferiority complex though

Celebrini has had the edge every step of the way so far, and is a far superior two-way player, and is the better all-around skater, and is a projected centre.

Eiserman is fantastic but it’s difficult to see a situation where he is selected ahead of Celebrini unless the latter struggles considerably in college.

It's close, we shall see. As of right now I prefer Eiserman, he has the higher offensive ceiling

What kind of potential do we see here? Can he be in the Fantilli tier, or is that unlikely / a bit too high?

I think Fantilli has the edge on both of these guys, very slightly

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Connor Bedard, selected No. 1 by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 draft, has played with Celebrini. Each is from Vancouver.

"I played with him and his brother as well ... Mack is a special player," Bedard said. "What he did this year was remarkable. He's always been super good, so to kind of see him grow and see the steps he's taken in his career, it's exciting to know him and have that relationship with him. I'm really excited for him, and there's so many good things about his game, you can go on forever."

Hmmm ... well the plan to draft Eiserman may need to be changed to draft Celebrini then. OKAY!

 

[bigdog16]

Literally has nothing to do with the equation.. never does with me. I just think he's the better player. Loosen up on the inferiority complex though


It's close, we shall see. As of right now I prefer Eiserman, he has the higher offensive ceiling


I think Fantilli has the edge on both of these guys, very slightly

Celebrini and Eiserman both had better D -1 years than Fantilli

 

[Mathieukferland]

What kind of potential do we see here? Can he be in the Fantilli tier, or is that unlikely / a bit too high?

Better than Fantilli due to his two way game and hockey IQ. I think if he achieves his absolute peak he can be a franchise level player à la Stamkos, Matthews Malkin etc; but an average outcome would give a Brayden Point or Séguin type player

 

[sigma six]

Does he have Selke potential? Trying to get a sense of how good at defending he is.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I'm ready for all the hate to come my way.

I struggle a little to match my evaluation of Celebrini with others. A little like how I viewed Beniers and Fantilli. Very good prospect. Don't doubt he'll be a top 3 pick and a good, maybe very good, NHL player. I just don't see like a sure thing top 2-3 pick and potential 1OA. The next draft might not have any of those players, so maybe he kind of ends up that by default with how well he's produced and that he projects as at least a 1B/2A center, but I think he's maybe being a little overrated because he's NA hype machine for 2024 (him and Eiserman), 2024 doesn't really have those types of incredible prospects except maybe a Russian, and if there's no one that deserves it, someone still has to be made that player for 2024.

He doesn't dominate shifts offensively, like I'd want when picking that high. And maybe you can counter that he's like a Patrice Bergeron that has all the little details down, but there's only one Bergeron for a reason. If you aren't that dominant skill guy, it's hard to be one of the top centers in the NHL.

I don't want to say he was a product of Chicago. He definitely wasn't, but if he was on like a mid-tier USHL team, I definitely don't think he's the leading scorer in the league. I often felt like he wasn't the best player on his own line in some games, and somehow he'd end up with like 3 points when he got outplayed by Perron. He was their best player. I'm not going to argue that point, but having so much talent around him helped a lot. He wasn't willing them to victory or anything like that.

To his credit, I liked his play much better at the WJC18. Thought he was Canada's best player, and really shined there, but between his play with Chicago and then the WHC17, I'm struggling a little to see the likely 1OA pick others see. Will be interested to see if he can have the type of season at BU that Fantilli had at Michigan. I'm skeptical, but I also didn't expect that season from Fantilli.

Discount what I'm saying if you want. I know it's not a popular opinion.

My scouting report from his USHL season (to be clear this was from before his WJC18 which I liked and upped my opinion of him a little bit).

I like his game, but I think the top 2-3 talk is overrating him. The point totals are great, but I don’t see elite skill, and he’s barely 6’0, if he’s even that. He’s still only 16, so he could certainly be 6’2 or so by the time he’s draft eligible. In that case, he’d profile a little differently. The details in his game are really good in all zones, he skates well, likes to shoot the puck even if he has an average shot, and has pretty good skill and playmaking. He reminds me a little of players like Sidney Crosby or Patrice Bergeron, although I don’t think he’ll be that good. He’s a good player. I think he has a chance at top 5 and probably ends up being top 10 caliber. I don’t know that I see a top 2-3 caliber offensive talent, but I also thought that about Beniers, and as of now he’s looking talented enough offensively for that, so maybe the offensive ability in Celebrini’s game is more deceptive. The stats would also suggest he has that offensive ability, although he plays for the best team in the league and isn’t even the play driver on his line, so his stat-line benefits from playing for Chicago.

 

[montreal]

 

[JotAlan]

Just scored an amazing OT winner.

Button keeps comparing him to Toews but he has more finesse in his game.

Would this kid's ceiling be a Toews with a touch more scoring?

 

[sigx15]

I'm ready for all the hate to come my way.

I struggle a little to match my evaluation of Celebrini with others. A little like how I viewed Beniers and Fantilli. Very good prospect. Don't doubt he'll be a top 3 pick and a good, maybe very good, NHL player. I just don't see like a sure thing top 2-3 pick and potential 1OA. The next draft might not have any of those players, so maybe he kind of ends up that by default with how well he's produced and that he projects as at least a 1B/2A center, but I think he's maybe being a little overrated because he's NA hype machine for 2024 (him and Eiserman), 2024 doesn't really have those types of incredible prospects except maybe a Russian, and if there's no one that deserves it, someone still has to be made that player for 2024.

He doesn't dominate shifts offensively, like I'd want when picking that high. And maybe you can counter that he's like a Patrice Bergeron that has all the little details down, but there's only one Bergeron for a reason. If you aren't that dominant skill guy, it's hard to be one of the top centers in the NHL.

I don't want to say he was a product of Chicago. He definitely wasn't, but if he was on like a mid-tier USHL team, I definitely don't think he's the leading scorer in the league. I often felt like he wasn't the best player on his own line in some games, and somehow he'd end up with like 3 points when he got outplayed by Perron. He was their best player. I'm not going to argue that point, but having so much talent around him helped a lot. He wasn't willing them to victory or anything like that.

To his credit, I liked his play much better at the WJC18. Thought he was Canada's best player, and really shined there, but between his play with Chicago and then the WHC17, I'm struggling a little to see the likely 1OA pick others see. Will be interested to see if he can have the type of season at BU that Fantilli had at Michigan. I'm skeptical, but I also didn't expect that season from Fantilli.

Discount what I'm saying if you want. I know it's not a popular opinion.

My scouting report from his USHL season (to be clear this was from before his WJC18 which I liked and upped my opinion of him a little bit).

I don't necessarily disagree with you entirely. It's not like he has one super elite physical trait that makes you go wow. He has a lot of really good traits but it's not like he has the shot of Bedard or skating of McDavid or really projectable size like Power. I do think his hockey sense is off the charts though so I think that's his separation from the pack next year. Not only does he see the ice really well but his sense of space is really impressive too. I also don't think it's an incredible draft from a top end perspective. I think there will be a lot of really good NHLers but I don't know if there will be any true super stars. Im really interested to see how he does at BU though because he definitely could take another step and I could think, ok he's a potential super star but we'll see

I think if Hagens were in the 2024 draft he'd go #1 ahead of him though. He really impressed me this past week at the WJC camp

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don't necessarily disagree with you entirely. It's not like he has one super elite physical trait that makes you go wow. He has a lot of really good traits but it's not like he has the shot of Bedard or skating of McDavid or really projectable size like Power. I do think his hockey sense is off the charts though so I think that's his separation from the pack next year. Not only does he see the ice really well but his sense of space is really impressive too. I also don't think it's an incredible draft from a top end perspective. I think there will be a lot of really good NHLers but I don't know if there will be any true super stars. Im really interested to see how he does at BU though because he definitely could take another step and I could think, ok he's a potential super star but we'll see

I think if Hagens were in the 2024 draft he'd go #1 ahead of him though. He really impressed me this past week at the WJC camp

I’m with you. I’d have Hagens 1OA in 2024, and potentially Misa.

I’m a little weary of that he gets it done with amazing hockey sense and a well-rounded game profile. I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong, but it’s a lot riskier than a guy that gets it done by shooting it past the goalie or having the best puck skills or the best skating. I think it’s the most subjective and difficult category to assess

Granted, it’s worked before with a player like Hischier (to an extent), but I kind of went along with the herd in 2021 on Lafreniere when I liked his game yet wasn’t enthralled. Now obviously I don’t think he’s a bust or everything that’s happened is his fault, but he’s not looking like a 1OA right now. In 2019 too, I didn’t dislike Hughes, but was a little scared off by his size and his lack of real defensive qualities for a center. He’s showing it doesn’t really matter, as (so far) he’s been the best player from that draft.

I’m starting to believe that you just take the most skilled offensive player (within reason) at that spot.

 

[sigx15]

I’m with you. I’d have Hagens 1OA in 2024, and potentially Misa.

I’m a little weary of that he gets it done with amazing hockey sense and a well-rounded game profile. I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong, but it’s a lot riskier than a guy that gets it done by shooting it past the goalie or having the best puck skills or the best skating. I think it’s the most subjective and difficult category to assess

Granted, it’s worked before with a player like Hischier (to an extent), but I kind of went along with the herd in 2021 on Lafreniere when I liked his game yet wasn’t enthralled. Now obviously I don’t think he’s a bust or everything that’s happened is his fault, but he’s not looking like a 1OA right now. In 2019 too, I didn’t dislike Hughes, but was a little scared off by his size and his lack of real defensive qualities for a center. He’s showing it doesn’t really matter, as (so far) he’s been the best player from that draft.

I’m starting to believe that you just take the most skilled offensive player (within reason) at that spot.

I get it, it's a lot easier to project tools than hockey sense, there's no doubt about it. When you have someone produce the way he does with the way he plays, it can give you tiny bit of pause but it's certainly not unprecedented. I know you brought up Bergeron before but there are more players of the same mold, I also look at a Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Brayden Point, Nico Hirschier, a better version of Jordan Kyrou, etc. I still think he's a pretty dynamic player and think you're being a little hard on him but I do get where you're coming from. I haven't felt like he's a surefire slam dunk super star in the NHL yet the way I have with other 1oa guys. I do like him more than Lafreniere when he came out though but not as much as Hughes, although I was a big big Hughes fan

I also just don't know who I'd take over him at this point. I wouldn't take Eiserman over him and I've seen him play a lot. I haven't seen much of Demidov. I wouldn't take Levshunov, Dickinson or Catton over him. Maybe someone else like one of the Fins will pop but I just haven't seen it yet

 

[kyle44]

but it’s a lot riskier than a guy that gets it done by shooting it past the goalie or having the best puck skills or the best skating.

Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Brayden Point, Nico Hirschier, a better version of Jordan Kyrou,

Sometimes I wonder if I watch the same games as others. Celebrini has an absolute rocket of a slapshot. It's not on Matthews or Laine level, but its amongst the best I've seen from a 16-year old. I certainly wouldn't classify his wrist shot as elite like Bedard, but it isn't any worse than other high end picks in recent years. Overall, I'd say his wrist shot is ahead and his slapshot light years ahead of those listed above at the same age, including Lafreniere.

He's also a fantastic skater. He has that McDavid/MacKinnon quality where it seems like he gains speed with the puck on his stick. Couple the above with his hockey sense and you'll get a player that will beat goalies in a multitude of ways at the next level. It definitely won't be due to hockey sense alone.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Sometimes I wonder if I watch the same games as others. Celebrini has an absolute rocket of a slapshot. It's not on Matthews or Laine level, but its amongst the best I've seen from a 16-year old. I certainly wouldn't classify his wrist shot as elite like Bedard, but it isn't any worse than other high end picks in recent years. Overall, I'd say his wrist shot is ahead and his slapshot light years ahead of those listed above at the same age, including Lafreniere.

He's also a fantastic skater. He has that McDavid/MacKinnon quality where it seems like he gains speed with the puck on his stick. Couple the above with his hockey sense and you'll get a player that will beat goalies in a multitude of ways at the next level. It definitely won't be due to hockey sense alone.

So I guess this is where we have a slight difference of opinion and it makes a big difference in how you look at the player.

I compare him to Hischier with a better shot. That's my comparison. Hischier is also a very good skater. I wouldn't call him fantastic. I wouldn't call Celebrini fantastic either. Yes, if he is fantastic, that makes a huge difference. "Fantastic" is like best in the draft level and about top 10-15 league wide. As for his shot, I don't see that level of shot. I think it's good or even very good, but not great. However, time will tell. If it's top 10-15 level in the NHL and he can be scoring high 30's-low 40's yearly, you'd be right. So we'll see. The small differences can make a difference in either direction.

 

[Rogie21]

Not venturing an opinion on whether his various shots are good or great, but it's worth noting he played all of last season with shoulder problems:

“(The injury) happened at the start of the year, and I kind of played with it all year,” Celebrini told FloHockey. “In Switzerland, I got hit and re-injured it. When I came back [with the Steel], my shoulder shifted (on a faceoff), and I couldn’t play anymore.”

As soon as Chicago was eliminated, Celebrini underwent surgery to repair the shoulder.

But I am looking forward to seeing him play with the Hutson Brothers, Tom Willander, Ryan Greene, et. al. this season.

 

[mphmiles]

If I'm picking #1 today, I pick Celebrini. The production and well-roundedness are just hard to argue with for me.

However, (When there does look to be a couple other elite level prospects) I do understand the slight hesitation with a guy when it seems that he lacks a projectable, world class-level, hard skill- like skating, shot, or hands.

Nothing burns scouts on prospects like overrating a player's on ice IQ, because it's just so incredibly hard to quantify accurately. I've learned to pretty much stop trying to quantify it myself over the last couple years unless it jumps out as being terrible, because even some of the best scouts in the NHL get it wrong all. the time.

It's very similar to why I was fairly luke warm on Kakko as a prospect a couple years ago. (Celebrini's hard skills are better than his, comparatively, to be fair)

 

[tnfrs]

I might be in the minority here, but my closest comparable to Celebrini is Nolan Patrick. He reminds me a lot of him in the way he skates, the way he protects the puck, hes not quite a power forward, not quite a two way center. Hes not the flashiest stick handler, but hes capable. Doesnt have the absolute best shot but its reliable. Decent speed but I dont see it blowing anybody out of the water the way McDavid and McKinnon can. Celebrini will develop into the player that Patrick could have been if he didnt have a bad head, I think Patrick would have been a good to very good 2C on a contender if things had worked for him and I know that debatable for alot of people but Patrick was never projected as a bad player there were just lots of questions about is health even before he was drafted.