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The Associated Press
The San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery on Tuesday and general manager 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.
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 Erik Karlsson to the Penguins, who had the right to retain the selection only if it landed in the top 10 of the draft order
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.
"Obviously, they're a great organization. If I'm fortunate enough to get drafted there, I'd be very lucky," the younger Celebrini said.
San Jose had an 18.5% chance to win the lottery, and a 25.5% chance to pick first.
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.
Michigan State freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who is from Belarus, is ranked second among North American prospects, followed by Medicine Hat Tigers center Cayden Lindstrom.
Central Scouting's top European skater is 6-foot-7 defenseman Anton Silayev, from Sarov, Russia.
Celebrini was college hockey's youngest player last season and is regarded as being a "strong skater with a fluid stride, elusive speed and quickness," according to a Central Scouting report.