The San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery on Tuesday and GM Mike Grier already has an idea of who he’ll be selecting with the No. 1 pick: Boston University center Macklin Celebrini.

“I would think so, yeah,” Grier said when asked if he anticipates using the top pick on the 17-year-old forward, college hockey’s youngest Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner and NHL Scouting Bureau’s top-ranked prospect.

The Sharks retained their position in the lottery and are scheduled to pick first in the NHL draft for the first time in franchise history following a season in which they finished last in the overall standings.

Though from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Celebrini is no stranger to the Bay Area or Grier, who also played at Boston University.

“I was thrilled. It’s a big moment for the organization and the fans here to have the opportunity to draft someone like Macklin,” Grier said. “It was a tough year for us. To have this opportunity, we couldn’t be more excited.”

Celebrini’s father, Rick Celebrini, is currently vice president of player health and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the youngster spent a year playing for the Sharks’ junior team.

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“Obviously, they’re a great organization. If I’m fortunate enough to get drafted there, I’d be very lucky,” the younger Celebrini said.

The lottery proved anti-climactic with no changes to the draft order. The Chicago Blackhawks, who selected Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick last year, retained the No. 2 selection, followed by the Anaheim Ducks.

It marked the first time since the 2010 draft lottery that the order of selection went unchanged. The NHL’s newest market, Utah, stayed put at No. 6. Salt Lake City landed an NHL franchise with the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes last month.

The league on Tuesday also announced what has been in the works for some time: the draft will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas June 28 and 29. It’ll be the first event televised at the venue.

This marked just the second time in franchise history — and first since San Jose’s inaugural season in 1991-92 — the Sharks finished last overall in the NHL standings. In missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season, the Sharks are in a total rebuild mode entering their third offseason under Grier. San Jose is coming off a season in which its 19 wins were the third-fewest in team history in a full NHL season.

Grier fired Coach David Quinn last month, and previously began overhauling his roster by trading high-priced stars such as Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Timo Meier.

The lottery results also led to the Sharks securing a second first-round pick, No. 14 overall and held by Pittsburgh. San Jose acquired the selection in a trade that sent Karlsson to the Penguins, who had the right to retain the selection only if it landed in the top 10 of the draft order.

Celebrini completed a season in which he finished third among Division I skaters with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 68 games and earned both Hockey East’s player and rookie of the year honors.

Listed at 6-feet and 190 pounds, he has the opportunity to become just the fourth NCAA player — and second forward — to be selected first overall, and first since Michigan defenseman Owen Power went No. 1 to Buffalo in 2021. The only other college forward drafted first was Michigan State’s Joe Murphy by Detroit in 1986.

SENATORS: The Ottawa Senators have hired Travis Green as coach, signing him to a four-year contract through the 2027-28 NHL season.
The team announced the move, with Green taking over for interim coach Jacques Martin. Green most recently served as interim coach of the New Jersey Devils after replacing Lindy Ruff in March. Ruff has since also moved on, returning to Buffalo, where he coached the Sabres from 1997-2013.
Green, 53, coached the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-21, guiding them to the playoffs once in four full seasons. The Senators have not qualified the past seven years going back to ’17 when they were one win away from the Stanley Cup Final and lost to eventual champion Pittsburgh in overtime in Game 7.
More than half the league has made at least one change at the position over the past 18 months and more could be coming. Green moving on, as expected, means the Devils are in the market for a fifth coach since 2019.
BLUES: Drew Bannister is returning as coach of the St. Louis Blues after getting the interim tag removed from his title and being named to the full-time role.
He signed a two-year contract that gives him the chance to oversee a bit of organizational retooling but also show he can get the most out of a roster stocked with veteran talent. The expectation is still for the Blues to contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference with Bannister in charge.
Bannister, 50, replaced Craig Berube when the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach was fired in December. The Blues went 30-19-5 after Bannister took over and finished six points out of a playoff spot.
BLACKHAWKS: The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year contract.
The deal runs through the 2025-26 season with a $1.2 million cap hit.
The Blackhawks were hoping for a breakout performance from Reichel this season, but he struggled with inconsistency for much of the year. Reichel, who turns 22 on May 17, finished with five goals and 11 assists in 65 games.
Reichel’s development is an ongoing issue for Chicago as it tries to take its rebuilding project to the next level. The Blackhawks set a franchise record for losses by going 23-53-6 this season.
The contract gives Reichel some security as he prepares to play for Germany at the upcoming world championships in Czechia.
The 6-foot Reichel was selected by Chicago with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 draft. He has 12 goals and 20 assists in 99 NHL games.

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