Sharks star rookie Macklin Celebrini's front row seat to the Warriors Dynasty

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- When the San Jose Sharks won the NHL Draft lottery in May 2024, it all but secured the continuation of a Bay Area sports story that's been developing for the better part of seven years. The following month, the Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini -- and if the name sounds familiar, you are right.

Macklin's father, Rick Celebrini, is the Warriors Vice President of Player Health and Performance. Rick was hired by the Warriors in August 2018, all the while a young Macklin was developing as a top hockey prospect and being exposed to the Warriors championship culture.

This summer, Macklin realized a lifelong goal becoming the number 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft. "It was pretty incredible," Celebrini said. "That was a goal and dream of mine ever since I was a kid. To not only get drafted into the NHL, but to get drafted first overall is a dream come true."

Over the past few years, Macklin has had a chance to get a unique perspective on the Warriors championship era, watching the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to name a few. "It was amazing, especially at that age. The older I got the more I watched and being around some of those guys you watch on TV, it was like a really cool experience for a kid," said Celebrini.

Admittedly star-struck by the future hall-of-famers, Macklin says he gave the guys fist-pumps and described how much those moments meant to him as a young athlete. The Warriors were built on a young core -- Curry, Thompson and Green -- that eventually became champions. The Sharks are hoping their young core, led by the likes of Celebrini, can help deliver the Stanley Cup to San Jose.

"It's going to take a lot, I think basketball and hockey are a little bit different in those ways," said Celebrini. "Obviously, you need a full team in basketball, you need your bench guys, but you can kind of ride your superstars for a majority of the game. In hockey, you need four lines, three sets of D (defenseman) and you need both goalies all playing their parts and playing their role."

Warriors star forward Draymond Green has been following Celebrini's career from his young days and recently praised the rookie at a press conference following a Warriors game. "I am impressed by him to say the least," said Green. "When you are being compared to the greats at 18 (years-old), man LeBron James was compared to the greats at 18 and he outlived it. Mack has that thing, and I think to be compared to the greats at 18, whatever people's hopes are and thoughts of what he will become he will outdo that."

"It means a lot from someone who has accomplished so much," Celebrini said of Green. "Even though it's in a different sport, someone who has done that much for the game of basketball. It's cool to hear."