Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The 2024 NHL Draft lottery is on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN, and the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-highest odds to land the No. 1 overall pick at 13.5%.
If the Blackhawks do win the lottery, the selection would likely be Macklin Celebrini, who's a prized two-way center and the consensus top pick. He has all the makings of an NHL superstar.
"He’s a franchise player,” one scout told TSN's Bob McKenzie in January. "He will be a game changer for the franchise that gets him."
In his freshman season at Boston University, Celebrini racked up 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games for a points-per-game average of 1.68, which ranked second in the nation. He became the youngest player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men's hockey.
In 2022-23, Celebrini played one season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he led the league with 86 points (46 goals, 40 assists) in 50 games. He became the first player in USHL history to win all three major awards in a single season: Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Forward of the Year, and he did so at age 16.
Chicago Blackhawks
A fun fact about Celebrini: His dad Rick works for the NBA's Golden State Warriors as their vice president of player health and performance, and his older brother Aiden was taken by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Last year, the Blackhawks won the draft lottery and earned the right to draft a generational talent in Connor Bedard, who has immediately become the face of the franchise. A Bedard and Celebrini combo would give the Blackhawks a 1-2 punch up the middle for what the organization would hope to be for the next decade and a half.
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