Thursday, January 18, 2024

Men’s Notes: Celebrini Tops NCAA-Laden Draft Ranks

BU Freshman Forward Tabbed No. 1 North American Skater

He’s the youngest player in NCAA Division I men’s hockey. In fact, he’s the nation’s only player who will play the entire season as a 17-year-old. He leads top-ranked Boston University – also the No. 1 team in the PairWise Rankings – in scoring.

And now, BU freshman F Macklin Celebrini is the No. 1 ranked North American skater according to Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

“He is playing at an enviable level all on his own and it’s truly impressive how he’s able to thrive in every environment he plays,” said NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Celebrini is bidding to become the second NCAA player in the last four years to be taken first overall; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power was the No. 1 pick in 2021 following his standout freshman campaign at Michigan.

Celebrini leads the Terriers with 13 goals and 29 points in 17 games overall. He’s been even better during Hockey East play, averaging a league-leading 2.20 points per game in conference tilts. Celebrini also represented Canada at the recent IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden.

In addition to Celebrini, two other NCAA players were ranked among the top four North American skaters by Central Scouting: Michigan State freshman D Artyon Levshunov (Zhlobin, Belarus) was No. 2 and Denver freshman D Zeev Buium (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) was No. 4.

Additionally, Providence commit Trevor Connelly, a forward currently playing for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, was ranked fifth, giving college hockey four of the top five North American skaters.

In all, nearly 100 NCAA and NCAA-committed players appeared on Central Scouting’s midterm rankings. Click HERE to see the complete list.

Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

Shooting Pool:

Under most circumstances, Mason Poolman’s power-play goal for St. Thomas in last Thursday’s win over Michigan Tech could be considered just another goal in just another January college hockey game.

But Poolman’s tally stood out for several reasons:

The goal proved to be the eventual game-winner in St. Thomas’ 4-3 victory over the Huskies
It was the first goal by a St. Thomas defenseman all season, a statistical oddity especially considering the Tommies sit atop the CCHA standings.
It was the first career goal for Poolman, a freshman from East Grand Forks, Minn.
Because it was a rare Thursday game, Poolman’s father Mark, the longtime athletic trainer at North Dakota, was able to be in attendance to see it happen.
Also in attendance was Poolman’s oldest brother Tucker, a Vancouver Canucks defenseman and former collegiate standout himself.

Poolman and the Tommies will look to strengthen their grip on first place when they travel to Northern Michigan this weekend.

Hockey Humanitarian Nominees:

On Wednesday, the Hockey Humanitarian Foundation announced this year’s nominees for the 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Eighteen players were nominated for the award that goes to the student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.

Finalists for the award, now in its 29th season, will be named in February. The winner will be announced April 12 at the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four.

Richter Award Watch List:

This year’s Mike Richter Award watch list was also recently released, unveiling a group of 32 players vying for the award given to the best goaltender in NCAA Division I men’s hockey.

All six conferences had multiple netminders on the list, with Atlantic Hockey and Hockey East leading the way with eight candidates each.

The winner will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. Click HERE to view the list.

Freshman Yellow Jacket Buzzing:

As is the case with many collegiate freshmen, AIC F Alfred Lindberg struggled to produce out of the gates, recording just one assist through his first six games. But the switch flipped for Lindberg during a Dec. 1-2 series with Sacred Heart in which he produced a goal and an assist each night.

Lindberg hasn’t stopped producing since. The Hallsberg, Sweden, native has reached the scoresheet in 10 of his 11 games since the start of December, including five multi-point performances. In his last six games alone, Lindberg has provided a trio of three-point outings.

Lindberg now ranks second in the Atlantic Hockey rookie scoring race with 19 points in 17 games overall. Even more impressively, he’s averaging 1.25 points per game during conference play, which leads all Atlantic Hockey skaters.

Lindberg and the Yellow Jackets are idle this weekend before returning to action Jan. 26-27 against Robert Morris.

Fit to Print:

“Our goal is to get better every day individually and collectively. We continue to grow our bond with each other and our willingness to sacrifice the ‘me’ for ‘we.’ In every game there are races to be won, and we want to win those races.”

— Niagara Head Coach Jason Lammers (source: USCHO)

NHL Note of the Week:

Entering Thursday night’s NHL action, six of the top eight names on the league’s save percentage leaderboard are NCAA alumni: Charlie Lindgren (St. Cloud State, 2013-16), Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell, 2012-14), Joey Daccord (Arizona State, 2016-19), Alex Lyon (Yale, 2013-16), Jeremy Swayman (Maine, 2017-20) and Thatcher Demko (Boston College, 2013-16).

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

St. Cloud State senior F Veeti Miettinen (Espoo, Finland) enters the weekend with 99 career points. He is bidding to become the 10th active NCAA Division I men’s hockey player to reach the 100-point milestone … Lindenwood junior G Trent Burnham (Eagle River, Alaska) stopped 51 shots in Saturday’s 3-3 tie at Wisconsin, his third outing this year with 50-plus saves. Burnham’s performance helped the Lions to halt the Badgers’ 10-game winning streak … Wisconsin’s 10-gamer was its longest since 1982-83 … Minnesota’s 4-2 win over Robert Morris on Friday was the 400th career victory for Minnesota Head Coach Bob Motzko (St. Cloud State ’87) … Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Cornell was Arizona State’s NCAA-leading 12th overtime game this season and just the second loss in extra time (5-2-5) for the Sun Devils … Long Island graduate F Grayson Constable (Lethbridge, Alberta) scored the OT winner in both games of the Sharks’ sweep of Colgate. Constable, a Holy Cross transfer, now has a career-high eight goals in 23 games this season.

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

Did you know? 93% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree!