Macklin Celebrini's mother Robyn divulges prospective No. 1 draft pick's childhood hockey story

Boston University's two-way center Macklin Celebrini is expected to be the No. 1 draft pick in the coming NHL draft. Celebrini’s mother, Robyn Celebrini, recently shared how the player first took to ice hockey in his early childhood.

Macklin inherited his athletic genes from his parents, who were both standout soccer players in college, with Robyn serving as captain of the women's team at the University of British Columbia.

While speaking of Macklin’s childhood, she recounted the story of his first hockey lessons. As he had already practiced on the ice before with his parents, a young Macklin was puzzled when he arrived for his first lesson and found no pucks.

"He insisted on wearing his whole hockey gear to his first lesson and he couldn't understand where the pucks were and why people were trying to help teach him," Robyn said. [H/T NHL.com]

"He wanted to do it himself. ... He's been stubborn and very focused from the very beginning."

Macklin’s father, Rick, mentioned that originally their children played soccer, but when the family moved near the North Shore Winter Club, they were all drawn to the ice. Rick also recounted how Macklin took to the ice immediately without wanting help or lessons and wanted to learn skating on his own.

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Macklin Celebrini opens up on mindset ahead of NHL draft

The San Jose Sharks hold the first overall pick this year. Given that Celebrini is one of the top prospects and the projected No. 1 pick, he could watch his NHL career take off with the Sharks.

While speaking in the press conference during the NHL combine Macklin Celebrini said:

"At the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen, and I don't think I'm getting too ahead of myself. So, for right now, I'm just going to enjoy the last couple days of the combine and enjoy this experience."

The player also mentioned that he had already interacted with the Sharks management. He even went out for dinner with the team's GM Mike Grier.

“He [Mike Grier] was awesome. We went out to dinner one night," Macklin Celebrini said. "He has a great personality, and we had a lot of jokes. It was cool."

The hype surrounding the projected No. 1 pick is only climbing as the NHL draft inches close. Earlier this month, the 2023 overall first pick and Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard thoughtfully reached out to Macklin Celebrini. The Boston University center mentioned that Bedard asked him to “call anytime” and offered his help if he needed dealing with the draft hype.