From THN's Archive: Connor Over Mack? Not So Fast, Jack

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Connor Over Mack? Not So Fast, Jack - Ryan Kennedy - April. 21, 2025 - Vol. 78, Issue. 10

IT WAS ABOUT A year ago in this space that I made the argument the hockey world was undervaluing Macklin Celebrini. The consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 NHL draft was coming off an incredible freshman season at Boston University, one which saw him become the youngest winner of the Hobey Baker Award while leading the Terriers with 64 points in 38 games as a 17-year-old. For context, that’s roughly the same production Jack Eichel had with Boston U in his draft year, and Eichel was about eight months older than Celebrini.

Because of the long shadow of Connor Bedard, who had gone first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks the year prior, Celebrini wasn’t as highly touted. We all knew Bedard from his incredible WHL career in Regina and his heroics at the World Junior Championship for Canada, but it just felt a little disrespectful toward Celebrini.

Canadian fans and media typically don’t watch as much NCAA hockey as they do major junior, putting Celebrini at a disadvantage, exposure-wise. And his 2024 Canadian WJC team was a flop in Sweden. In fact, Celebrini was one of the only bright spots on an otherwise pedestrian squad.

Fast-forward a year, and Celebrini was finishing his rookie campaign with San Jose, potentially en route to the Calder Trophy, which Bedard had won the year prior. While debating this issue’s Top 100 list, I brought up the fact that when placing Bedard, we shouldn’t forget Celebrini. If you look at their numbers this season, the two fantastic teens have been remarkably similar.

An early injury put Celebrini behind Bedard in games played, so as the season wound down, Bedard still had more points than his younger peer. But Celebrini had a higher points-per-game rate. Of course, neither the Sharks nor the Hawks came anywhere close to a playoff spot (they were the first two teams officially eliminated from the post-season picture). Both teams are rebuilding around their phenom centers, and while Chicago’s rebuild began earlier, you can’t say they’ve done it better. GM Kyle Davidson has been active; you have to give him that. In Bedard’s rookie season, Chicago brought in veterans Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and Corey Perry as support. Perry was jettisoned in November 2023 after an undisclosed controversy, and Hall was dealt this January after missing most of his first Hawks campaign due to injury. On the bright side, Foligno was named captain. Davidson tried again last summer, grabbing Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to help the attack, but it didn’t work.

Meanwhile, San Jose GM Mike Grier brought in Tyler Toffoli to provide a veteran presence for Celebrini and fellow rookie Will Smith. And it worked. One of this season’s highlights was when the two kids wrangled Toffoli into a hotel sleepover on the road after all three scored in the same game. So, despite the two teams having near-identical records, it feels like San Jose is in a better place right now. Perhaps that’s just a matter of expectation – we thought the Hawks would at least be a little better this season, while the Sharks were seen as rebuilding chum by design – but it’s difficult to argue, “Well, Chicago has Bedard,” when San Jose partisans can legitimately retort, “Yes, and we have Mack.”

CELEBRINI WAS WINNING MORE BATTLES THAN ALMOST ANYONE ELSE IN THE LEAGUE,A CRAZY STAT FORA TEENAGER

One of the most fascinating developments early in the season was Celebrini’s compete level. Advanced stats revealed that he was winning more battles than almost anyone else in the league, a crazy stat for a teenager. Celebrini’s dog-on-a-bone mentality and his advanced physique (his dad, Rick, famously being the director of sports medicine and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors) have made him an instant sensation in that regard. He’s even winning nearly 48 percent of his faceoffs, compared to Bedard’s 37-percent mark.

So, who would you rather have, Bedard or Celebrini? There’s no wrong answer here, as both are amazing players with bright futures ahead of them. But it’s a debate worth having – something few would have considered just one year ago. It was a conversation we had for our Top 100, and if the trend keeps up, we’ll be discussing it every year for the foreseeable future.

Let us know what you think below.

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