Blackhawks Lock In Better Odds To Get Macklin Celebrini Than They Had For Connor Bedard

Chicago will finish in 31st place, second-worst in the NHL, and will have a 13.5% chance at winning the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery — and the right to draft NCAA standout Celebrini.

It's official: The Chicago Blackhawks will finish in 31st place in the 32-team NHL in 2023-24.

That means the Blackhawks have slightly better odds at winning the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery than in 2023, when they came out on top and selected Connor Bedard, now the NHL's leading rookie scorer.

Boston University freshman Macklin Celebrini is expected to be a slam-dunk for the top draft pick this season. Although not considered a "generational talent" like Bedard, the 17-year-old power forward is rated No. 1 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Chicago, at 23-52-5, has 51 points and two games remaining heading into Tuesday night's contest against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. League-worst San Jose, with 47 points and one game left, is locked into the cellar. The Blackhawks can't overtake 30th place Anaheim, which has 57 points.

With the NHL's second-worst record, Chicago will have a 13.5% chance of winning the lottery, expected to take place on May 6 or 7 depending on the NHL's playoff television schedule. The Blackhawks finished third-worst last season at 26-49-7 and 59 points, but won the lottery despite 11.5% odds.

San Jose will have a 25.5% chance of winning the 2024 lottery, as Anaheim did last year.

Although they hoped to win more with Bedard, the injury-ravaged Blackhawks can finish with no more than 55 points and a .335 points (winning) percentage in 2023-24. Only nine editions of the 98-year-old Original Six franchise have fared worse.

Celebrini skated away with the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the NCAA's top player in 2023-24 after posting 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games for BU. 

Celebrini, from North Vancouver, British Columbia like Bedard, skated with the Blackhawks forward when the two were very young. Then Celebrini moved to the San Francisco Bay area after his father, Rick, accepted a sports performance job with the NBA Golden State Warriors. 

Celebrini went on to skate in the San Jose Jr. Sharks AAA program, with the Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Minnesota and the USHL Chicago Steel before joining the Terriers this season. The Chicago Steel is a junior club owned by the Wirtz Corporation, the Wirtz family-controlled business entity that owns the Blackhawks and half of the United Center.

NHL teams can win the No. 1 draft pick up to two years within an five-year span, including in back-to-back seasons. The last team to draft in the top spot in consecutive years was Edmonton in 2010, 2011 and 2012 before new rules were implemented in 2022 to limit the times a team could get the top pick.

The Oilers also drafted first overall in 2015, taking Connor McDavid. Edmonton selected current Blackhawk winger Taylor Hall in 2010. Hall has been recovering from right ACL surgery in November and is expected to help Bedard in 2024-25.