CHN Staff Report
(photo: Matt Dewkett)
College hockey has seen an influx of talent in recent years, and just as often, that talent comes and goes quickly.
So it’s not unusual anymore to see freshmen who vie for top awards. Last season, Adam Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award and CHN Player of the Year as a freshman. CHN had back-to-back freshman POTYs in 2015 and 2016 — Jack Eichel and Kyle Connor. Often nowadays Rookies of the Year are also those competing for Player of the Year.
Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini took that to a new level this year, playing as a 17-year old this entire season, and living up to exptectations.
Celebrini may yet join the likes of Eichel and Fantilli and in freshman Hobey winner club. For now, he’s simply CHN’s Rookie of the Year.
Celebrini, a native of Vancouver who played for Team Canada at this year’s World Junior Championship, is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this June’s NHL Draft. He has 32 goals and 64 points this season, a team-high 172 shots on net, and is a plus-25. As a center, he’s also winning 53 percent of his faceoffs.
“He checks every box you want in a top prospect, and is one of the few players I’ve scouted where it’s hard to see any noticeable weakness,” said The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. “Celebrini makes a ton of difficult plays with the puck on the move, in tight areas and from a standstill. He has a bullet shot and projects to run a first power play in the NHL. He’s average-sized, but Celebrini is highly competitive, wins a lot of battles and projects as a two-way center in the NHL. He has all the makings of a potential superstar.”
BU advanced to the Frozen Four for the second straight year, and will face Denver in the national semifinal April 11 in St. Paul, Minn.
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