ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Macklin Celebrini said he’s “not too sure” about where he will play hockey next season.
The projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft had his freshman season at Boston University come to an end on Thursday in a 2-1 overtime loss to the University of Denver in the first Frozen Four semifinal at Xcel Energy Center.
Denver will play for the championship against Boston College, which defeated the University of Michigan 4-0 in the second Frozen Four semifinal.
When asked after the game if he will return to BU next season, he couldn’t answer.
“Yeah, I mean, I wasn’t really planning on losing tonight,” said Celebrini, who had seven shots in the game. “So, I mean, I gotta figure that out. Kind of still in shock. So, I’m not too sure.”
Celebrini is third in the NCAA with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games. He was named rookie of the year and player of the year in Hockey East.
Celebrini is also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which will be awarded Friday to the top men's player in Division I college hockey. He elected for college following the 2022-23 season with Chicago of the United States Hockey League, where he had 86 points (46 goals, 40 assists) in 50 games.
Now that his season is over, the hype around Celebrini (6-foot, 190 pounds) ahead of the 2024 draft, reportedly at Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28-29, will get even stronger. He's the projected No. 1 pick, which is more impressive given that the 17-year-old forward is the youngest player in NCAA.
On Wednesday, he said he wasn’t focused on the draft, instead he was trying to win a national title for BU.
"I mean, we got a job to do this weekend,” Celebrini said. “And it's kind of cliché but everything else will take care of itself, so we're focused on Thursday, first of all, and playing the best hockey for 60 minutes and then not looking past that."
Coach Jay Pandolfo on Wednesday said he also wasn’t worried about Celebrini signing with whichever NHL team selects him in the draft instead of returning to the Terriers.
"You know, maybe Macklin's one and done," Pandolfo said. "It hasn't affected our culture, at least in the short time I've been here. So I think if you bring the right type of player that's a one and done or two and done or whatever it may be, if they're the right type of person and they have their feet on the ground when they're here at BU, I think it makes a difference and we have those type of guys right now."
If Celebrini decides to go pro, he will no doubt have fond memories of his time in college.
“BU’s been everything to me,” he said. “From the staff to my teammates to everyone involved, it’s meant the world to me. Just great people that I’ve been around the last year. It’s really disappointing it had to end this way, but I’m super grateful and fortunate to have had the opportunity to be with these people and spend the last year of my life with them.”
“I’m proud of this group. We had a (heck) of a team and we gave it everything we could the whole season. We came up short on multiple occasions and I guess that’s how it goes sometimes. But no, I’m super proud of this group, and super grateful that I was able to get this opportunity to play with these guys.”
