Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27) after being selected first overall by the San Jose Sharks during the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28 at Sphere in Las Vegas, Nev. Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images

Sports

BU’s Macklin Celebrini Is NHL’s Top Draft Pick, Second Terrier Ever to Go First

The University has five current or incoming players drafted, more than any team in college hockey

Cole Eiserman keeps a broken hockey stick in his room. The stick belongs to his friend and former teammate Macklin Celebrini. The two played and roomed together while at hockey powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary’s, and during practice one day, they broke each other’s sticks.

Just a few years later, Celebrini (CAS’27), who just played a standout freshman year for Boston University, and Eiserman, who is set to join the Terriers this year, were selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, which was held last Friday at Sphere Las Vegas. 

“It was super cool,” Eiserman (CAS’28), an entering BU freshman, said after the draft. “Obviously roommates freshman year, we were 14-year-old kids and now we’re both drafted in the NHL.”

Celebrini, voted college hockey’s best player in his first season with the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, was already in the spotlight when the rising sophomore forward was taken with the first overall selection by the San Jose Sharks. Later that night, Eiserman was taken by the New York Islanders with pick No. 20. The two players became the 24th and 25th first-round selections in BU’s history. 

Three other future Terriers heard their names called as the draft continued over the weekend, including Cole Hutson (CAS’28)—younger brother of former BU defenseman Lane Hutson and rising junior forward Quinn Hutson—who was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the second round. Incoming forward Kamil Bednarik (CAS’28) joined Hutson in the second round after being selected by the Islanders. Forward Jack Pridham, who will join BU for the 2025-2026 season, was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round. 

The five Terrier draft picks are the most of any NCAA hockey team.

Macklin Celebrini

It was no surprise to see Celebrini taken off the draft board first. The forward tore up college hockey last season with 64 points on 32 goals and 32 assists, becoming the youngest player to ever win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the country’s most outstanding college hockey player. 

“Once it’s official, it’s a pretty amazing feeling. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid,” Celebrini says. “You dream about playing in the NHL and helping your team win, and that’s what I’m hoping I can bring to the Sharks.”

Celebrini becomes the second Terrier to be drafted first overall, joining goaltender Rick DiPietro (CAS’01) who was taken with the New York Islanders’ top pick in 2000.

The Sharks won the right to select Celebrini following a dismal 19-54-9 season. 

Outside of becoming the fourth Terrier to win the Hobey Baker and leading BU to the Frozen Four, Celebrini’s trophy case from last season includes National Rookie of the Year, First Team All-American, and Hockey East Player of the Year, among others.

Former Terrier forward and current San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier (CAS’97) selected Celebrini, bringing the 6-foot, 190-pound skater back to the Bay Area, where his family moved in 2018. 

“I got a lay of the land and got to experience what life in California is like, so there’s not that much transition,” Celebrini says. “They have a young core that’s very special, and I feel like they’re moving in the right direction and building in the right way.”

Celebrini has not yet decided whether he will sign with the Sharks or return to Comm Ave for the upcoming season, where his brother, Aiden Celebrini (SHA’27), will return for his sophomore campaign. 

Macklin says he will have conversations with the Sharks organization, his family, and his coaches at BU to “get an understanding of both opportunities.”

“Regardless of what happens moving forward, whether he comes back or moves on, he was a great, great Terrier and I know he really enjoyed his time with BU,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) says. “I’m really proud of him and really happy for him.”

Cole Eiserman

The New York Islanders used their first-round selection on high-volume scorer Eiserman out of Newburyport, Mass. Eiserman says he sees the game “different than a lot of people,” which the Islanders appreciated.

“It felt like they really understood me as a player,” Eiserman says. “I always respect people like that because it takes a different mindset to understand how I think and how I play the game, and I’m super excited to be with them.”

The prolific scoring forward hails from the United States National Team Development Program, boasting the record for the most goals scored in that program’s history, with 127. Last season, Eiserman recorded 58 goals and 31 assists across 57 games.

The Islanders finished last season with a 39-27-16 record, before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round of the playoffs.

Before making his way to UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., home of the Islanders, Eiserman will be on BU’s campus this upcoming season. The shooter says he wants to develop his defensive game as well as be available for all situations.

“A year at BU is going to be huge for me and I’m super excited to learn,” he says. 

Eiserman will be joined by incoming BU forward Bednarik, who the Islanders drafted in the second round, at pick No. 61. 

“[Eiserman’s] got a gift for scoring goals and not a lot of people have that,” says Pandolfo, who played a season with the Islanders during his NHL career. “He has a knack for the net, and he enjoys scoring goals, so hopefully we see a lot of those.”