To call Macklin Celebrini a “phenom” would be a gross understatement. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft was highly touted, but his selection was definitely viewed as a bit of a letdown following the enormous hype that accompanied Connor Bedard the year prior. Two years later everything has flipped, as Bedard is a extremely good, but languishing on a horrific Blackhawks roster — while Celebrini is making history.
Celebrini became just the 7th teenager in NHL history to record 100 points in a season before turning 20. Scoring two goals and registering one assist in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues, he now has 38 goals and 63 assists on the year for 101 points with 10 games remaining. It puts Celebrini in some of the NHL’s rarest company, a laundry list of NHL legends — and one guy who never managed to live up to his early hype.
Let’s look at the list Celebrini is now a part of:
It’s tough to imagine Celebrini will backslide with modern hockey conditions, training, and coaching. This is the rise of the next great player in hockey, and we’re witnessing it.
