Courtesy of Hockey East Online

Fantasy Summary

Exceptional rush offense creator with a solid base of pro-ready tools. Defensively sound, creative and agile, with a knack for winning board battles. Projects as a top-line, do-it-all center at the NHL level.


Observations

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June 2025 – Celebrini started off the season injured, managing a two-point game in his debut October 10, but then not playing again until November 7. As of November 20 he had five points to his name (in nine games) and was minus-4. The doubters popped up in fantasy circles like dandelions. But Celebrini laid those fears to rest after that, posting 58 points in his next 61 games and landing himself a Calder Trophy nomination. He finished second in scoring to Montreal’s Lane Hutson. He drove possession despite facing very strong quality of competition. As the team around him strengthens, Celebrini should blossom into a 90-point player, just give it several years. – Dobber

June 2024 – To great surprise, Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks. Pat Quinn

November 2023 – The list of NCAA draft eligibles who, since the 1990s, have exceeded Celebrini’s two-points-a-game pace so far for BU (18 in nine games played) has one name on it: Paul Kariya. And that was more than 30 years ago.

If you look at some of the names right below Celebrini’s, you’ll find Adam Fantilli and Jack Eichel, who put up in the neighborhood of 1.80 points per game in their respective draft years. Both of them were late October birthdays. Celebrini, meanwhile, was born in June. He is almost eight months younger and is still outscoring the two former top-three picks.

Celebrini is a supreme rush chance creator. He jumpstarts offensive transitions with solid defensive positioning, great intensity, and refined technique in board battles. Once the puck is secured, he has the technical abilities to skate it out while evading pressure with his crossovers or to find an outlet and outrace back-checkers to open ice to make himself a shooting threat. His ability to move pucks from the boards to the middle of the ice in offensive zone cycles has also grown massively since his Draft -1 season with the Chicago Steel, aided by the muscle he added in the off-season. The tools and the toolkit make Celebrini the runaway first-overall pick at this point in the season, and he has all the makings of a top-line, do-it-all center at the NHL level. Hadi Kalakeche

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 9.5
NHL Certainty 10.0
Country CAN
Position C
Roster Type NHL
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth June 13, 2006
Height 6‘0”
Weight 190 lbs
Drafted 2024 Round 1; Overall: 1
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025NHLSan Jose Sharks7025386328-31
2024-2025WCCanada833609
2024-2025InternationalTeam Canada223500
2023-2024WJC-20Canada U20544805
2023-2024NCAABoston Univ.383232641825
2023-2024InternationalTeam Canada101100
2022-2023WJC-18Canada U1876915611
2022-2023WHC-17Canada Black U17411200
2022-2023USHLChicago Steel504640866227
2021-2022USHS-PrepShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep525067117440
2021-2022PHCShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep1181220120
2020-202114U AAAShattuck St. Mary's 14U AAA505190141580
2019-2020T1EHL 14USan Jose Jr. Sharks 14U AAA752760
2019-202014U AAASan Jose Jr. Sharks 14U AAA54494594500
2018-2019WSI U13Western Canada Selects U1391392200
2017-2018WSI U12Western Canada Selects U129591400
2017-2018QC Int PWNorth Shore Winter Club200020
2015-2016Brick InvitationalBC Junior Canucks622420

Highlights