Latest news with #AidenCelebrini
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Try To Be A Leader And Try To Set The Tone For The Other Guys Here": Aiden Celebrini Discusses His Third Vancouver Canucks Development Camp
The Vancouver Canucks 2025 Development Camp has officially concluded. This year's week-long camp featured the entire 2025 draft class, as well as prospects who have taken part in the past. One of the players who hit the ice this week was 2023 draft prospect Aiden Celebrini, who was attending his third development camp since joining the Canucks.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens: Struble Elects Arbitration
"Try To Be A Leader And Try To Set The Tone For The Other Guys Here": Aiden Celebrini Discusses His Third Vancouver Canucks Development Camp The Vancouver Canucks 2025 Development Camp has officially concluded. This year's week-long camp featured the entire 2025 draft class, as well as prospects who have taken part in the past. One of the players who hit the ice this week was 2023 draft prospect Aiden Celebrini, who was attending his third development camp since joining the Canucks.
The Province
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Province
Canucks Development Camp: Aiden Celebrini using 2023 sixth-round draft selection as incentive
Defenceman Brent Sopel was a sixth-round Canucks draft pick in 1995. He played 659 career games with six teams, including 322 with Vancouver Get the latest from Ben Kuzma straight to your inbox Aiden Celebrini of the Boston University Terriers fights Garrett Szydlowski of the Western Michigan University Broncos for control of the puck on April 12, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. Photo by Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images Aiden Celebrini has never had to look far for career advice, admiration and development. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Vancouver Canucks prospect defenceman, who will participate in his third development camp starting Monday at UBC, has benefited from a rich family sporting lineage. It includes younger brother, Macklin, who placed third in Calder Trophy voting this season as an emerging NHL star with the San Jose Sharks. There's also his sister, Charlie, who's travelling the world as a bright female prospect with Tennis Canada's junior program. And brother R.J. is making his hockey mark in the youth program across the U.S. For Aiden, 20, playing big brother in a household of self-starter siblings comes naturally because his father, Rick, the director of sports medicine and performance with the NBA Golden State Warriors, was also motivated. He played soccer professionally with the Vancouver 86ers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. What Macklin accomplished this season is especially inspiring because his 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games don't tell the whole story. 'I'm so proud of him,' Aiden told Postmedia on Sunday. 'What he went through in his first year, he's already a true professional. To see how he goes about his business every day and how he approaches every game, that was a lot of pressure on him. First overall pick and he thrived on that and how he dealt with expectations and having that injury at the start of the year didn't help.' Celebrini has his own challenges as a sixth-round Canucks selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. You have to dial it back to 1995 to find a sixth-round Vancouver pick on defence who made an impact. Brent Sopel played 659 career games with six teams and also logged 71 playoff games. That total included 322 games with the Canucks and 42 in the post-season. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And with the Canucks now having capable young blueliners and good prospect depth, that should only inspire rather than deter Celebrini to get his game to the next level. Aiden Celebrini celebrates a Boston University goal in an NCAA game against Massachusetts on Oct. 27, 2023. Photo by Greg M. Cooper / AP 'The way I see it, that only makes the team better and in years to come,' said Celebrini. 'I welcome that and obviously I've heard that since the day my name was called. I've heard the odds of a sixth-rounder making it. All I can say, is I don't see myself as a sixth-rounder anymore. I'm a Canucks prospect. Whether you're a first or sixth-rounder, you haven't proven anything yet. 'I'm just going to improve every single day and have no regrets when I get to that day of trying got make the (NHL) step.' The challenge for Celebrini now is to use his 6-foot-1, 195 pound frame as a foundation to defend, but also open other avenues to move the puck better and get more involved offensively. He had eight points (2-6) in 31 games this season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. An explosive stride, especially the first four, are imperative for any defencemen to get up into the play quicker and defend better laterally. 'For me, it's always about constant improvement and a lot of late nights on the ice to take it the next level,' said Celebrini. 'The more mobile you are, the better defender you are with more efficiency and pace. It's only going to help your game on both sides of the puck.' Celebrini's strong sophomore season at Boston University concluded by advancing the the NCAA Frozen Four Final before losing 6-2 to Western Michigan. The tournament trail is a grind and just getting to the title game is an accomplishment. Celebrini showed growth by scoring the game winner against Ohio State in an 8-3 victory. That set up a 3-2 decision over Cornell to sweep the regional playdowns and get to the Frozen Four. 'That's why you go to programs like Boston University, to play in those games,' stressed Celebrini. 'The sting of coming home empty-handed always hurts, but we're going to have a similar group and we have a lot of hunger to get back and finish the job.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This development camp is a different role for Celebrini to show newcomers how to approach each session and make the right impression. 'My first couple of camps I was nervous,' recalled Celebrini. 'I just want to pass on top the young guys that this is a time to have fun. Great staff here and I actually look forward to it. It's compete and everything you love about hockey and you're wearing the Canucks jersey. 'Live it up to the fullest. We all have goals and desires, but the real great ones enjoy the process.' FIVE CAMPERS TO WATCH Alexei Medvedev poses after being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the 47th overall pick during the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2025 in Los Angeles Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Alexei Medvedev, G, London Knights (OHL), 22-8-2, 2.79 GAA., .912 percentage, 2025 draft, 47th overall. Already has the size and composure on an athletic 6-foot-3 frame. Technical game has evolved for better puck tracking to read the game more precisely. Has become more efficient with crease movements. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Braeden Cootes poses after being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Los Angeles. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Braeden Cootes, C, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 5-foot-11, 183 lbs., GP: 60, G: 26, A: 37, PTS: 63, 2025 draft, 15th overall. Captain and leader wants to be like Brayden Point. That would be something. A battler and grinder with sneaky scoring skills. Was also captain of Canada's Under-18 team at worlds. Future culture carrier. Wilson Bjorck, C, Djurgardens Jr. (Swe-J20), 6-foot, 165 lbs., GP: 43, G: 28, A: 39, PTS: 67, 2025 draft, 143rd overall. Strong family hockey lineage. Brother Viggo is a big 2026 draft prospect. Wilson is labelled a 'project' heading to Colorado College. Riley Patterson is selected by the Canucks with the 125th overall pick during the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Riley Patterson, C, Barrie Colts (OHL), 6-foot, 194 lbs., GP: 64, G: 25, A: 34, PTS: 59, 2024 draft, 125th overall. Two solid seasons depict a solid game without the 'wow' factor, but excels in 200-foot game that coaches really crave. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hot-shot OHL sniper Anthony Romani was the 162nd overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft. Photo by Candice Ward / Getty Images Anthony Romani, RW, Barrie Colts (OHL), 6-foot-1, 190 lbs., GP: 29, G: 19, A: 11, PTS: 30, 2024 draft, 162nd overall. Lit it up in OHL post-season with 24 points (12-12) in 16 games and is jumping to the NCAA with the Michigan State Spartans. OVERTIME — UBC group camp session Monday at 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday, group session at 10 a.m. and small-area games at 11:10. On Thursday, group session at 10 a.m. and intrasquad game at 11:15 a.m. bkuzma@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks News News
The Province
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Province
NCAA decision has potential to alter Canadian junior hockey and the pipelines that feed the NHL
Published Apr 29, 2025 • 5 minute read Aiden Celebrini #22 of the Boston University Terriers fights Garrett Szydlowski #24 of the Western Michigan University Broncos for control of the puck. Getty Images Boston University sophomore Aiden Celebrini has no regrets over the decision he reached at 16 to maintain his college eligibility by skipping a chance to play for the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors And it makes no difference that college hockey wasn't on his radar growing up in North Vancouver and regularly attending WHL games with his younger brother Macklin, the NHL's draft's No. 1 pick last summer. 'We didn't know much about college hockey,' Celebrini said during the Frozen Four championship in St. Louis. 'Going to Vancouver Giants games, that was always kind of our dream to play in the WHL and then eventually play in the NHL.' It's a dream Macklin has already achieved in completing his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks and after one year at BU. Aiden could well follow after being drafted by his hometown Canucks in 2023. Last fall, the NCAA made a landmark eligibility decision to allow Canadian Hockey League players to compete at the college level. The ruling frees today's players from the either-or choice the Celebrinis faced to either join the CHL team that drafted them or preserve their college eligibility as they did by playing at the Canadian Junior A or USHL levels — Aiden in Alberta and Macklin in Chicago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I'm kind of jealous,' Aiden Celebrini said. 'I think it's awesome that guys can experience both now because I think the WHL is a top league, and obviously the NCAA is also. It's great to have that kind of pipeline now.' While players will benefit most, the NCAA ruling has the potential to dramatically tilt North America's junior hockey developmental landscape toward U.S. colleges in a fundamental altering of how prospects reach the NHL. Paths to the NHL The route for many has traditionally run through the CHL's three leagues, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. The CHL remains the clear leader in having 839 players drafted from 2015-24, with the NCAA's 74 a distant seventh. And yet, of those 74 college players, 63 were chosen in the first round, including two Canadians selected first overall (Celebrini and Michigan's Owen Power in 2021). Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. College hockey players now make up about a third of NHL rosters, up from 20% in 2000, with Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf envisioning that number growing. 'I don't think it's that complicated. There'll be an increasing number of NHLers that come from college,' Metcalf told The Associated Press at the Frozen Four. '(The CHL and USHL) will feed players up into college hockey. And college hockey will feed the players up to the NHL.' College money College sports awaits the final approval of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will change the economics across the NCAA and its hundreds of member schools by allowing revenue sharing. That, and the availability of NIL endorsement money, will provide college programs beyond football and basketball different resources to attract recruits. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A hot topic of discussion at the Frozen Four was the potential of hockey programs making six-figures offer to lure top-end CHL players, such as Medicine Hat forward Gavin McKenna, already projected to be No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft. 'The better talent we can get into college hockey, the better it is for college hockey. So access to a new talent pool is a good thing,' said Western Michigan athletic director Dan Bartholomae, whose Broncos won their first title. 'We're going to compete in that space,' he added of an athletic department in the midst of building a $500 million new downtown arena. 'We could grow a little bit in the sport of hockey, and we're planning to.' A resized talent pool? Questions include how much college hockey can expand, given the eight-figure price tag to launch a Division I program, and how the CHL and USHL adapt. CHL President Dan MacKenzie doesn't expect his three leagues to take a back seat to anyone. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The changes have been monumental, obviously. We've all been trying to get an handle on what's going to happen,' he said. 'What we've seen in those five months is the CHL basically get stronger.' For proof, MacKenzie noted that 205 CHL alumni, representing more than 50% of NHL rosters, are currently competing in the playoffs. He also pointed to NHL Central Scouting having 170 CHL players included in their pre-draft rankings, the most ever. Expansion is on the horizon, with the WHL preparing to launch two teams in British Columbia, which would increase the CHL's total to 60. 'Every player is going to make a different decision,' MacKenzie said. 'All we can do is try to run a whole bunch of great programs across our teams and leagues and let the chips fall, because we feel pretty confident that we're going to be the destination for that player.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The challenge for the USA Hockey-backed USHL is somewhat different in staying competitive while maintaining its objectives of growing the game across American and developing U.S.-born talent. The initial fallout from the NCAA ruling led to two teams, Youngstown and Muskegon, being rejected in their bid to leave the USHL and join the OHL. All 16 teams have since committed to remaining in the USHL next year. Commissioner Glenn Hefferan dismissed the potential of a lawsuit by noting the USHL has anti-trust protections. He instead foresees a future in which the USHL and CHL forge closer bonds, with the potential of inter-league preseason games on the horizon. Canada vs. USA A bigger concern is the NCAA's change in eligibility rules leading to Canadians potentially displacing Americans on college rosters. Hefferan and USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher both said they'd like to see the U.S. Congress cap the number of international players on college teams. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hockey East's Metcalf dismissed that proposal outright. 'My immediate reaction is that's the opposite direction we're going in,' Metcalf said. 'College hockey is interested in getting the best players they can from where ever they're from.' In the meantime, the NHL is monitoring developments and might eventually need to weigh in, with input from the NHL Players' Association. Currently, NHL teams retain the draft rights to players for 30 days after they leave college. By comparison, teams hold CHL players' right for two seasons after being drafted. One benefit NHL teams have in drafting college players is, once signed those players can be sent directly to the minors. CHL players must be returned to their CHL teams until their eligibility expires. 'The NCAA made whatever decision, and we're all going to have to adjust,' NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. 'We're going to have to talk to the union and understand how we think it works based on the current rule and what maybe we need to modify to be reflective of the way we think things would flow best.' Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Whitecaps News News News
National Post
29-04-2025
- Sport
- National Post
NCAA decision has potential to alter Canadian junior hockey and the pipelines that feed the NHL
Boston University sophomore Aiden Celebrini has no regrets over the decision he reached at 16 to maintain his college eligibility by skipping a chance to play for the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades. Article content And it makes no difference that college hockey wasn't on his radar growing up in North Vancouver and regularly attending WHL games with his younger brother Macklin, the NHL's draft's No. 1 pick last summer. Article content 'We didn't know much about college hockey,' Celebrini said during the Frozen Four championship in St. Louis. 'Going to Vancouver Giants games, that was always kind of our dream to play in the WHL and then eventually play in the NHL.' Article content It's a dream Macklin has already achieved in completing his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks and after one year at BU. Aiden could well follow after being drafted by his hometown Canucks in 2023. Article content Article content Last fall, the NCAA made a landmark eligibility decision to allow Canadian Hockey League players to compete at the college level. The ruling frees today's players from the either-or choice the Celebrinis faced to either join the CHL team that drafted them or preserve their college eligibility as they did by playing at the Canadian Junior A or USHL levels — Aiden in Alberta and Macklin in Chicago. Article content 'I'm kind of jealous,' Aiden Celebrini said. 'I think it's awesome that guys can experience both now because I think the WHL is a top league, and obviously the NCAA is also. It's great to have that kind of pipeline now.' Article content While players will benefit most, the NCAA ruling has the potential to dramatically tilt North America's junior hockey developmental landscape toward U.S. colleges in a fundamental altering of how prospects reach the NHL. Article content Paths to the NHL Article content The route for many has traditionally run through the CHL's three leagues, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. Article content The CHL remains the clear leader in having 839 players drafted from 2015-24, with the NCAA's 74 a distant seventh. And yet, of those 74 college players, 63 were chosen in the first round, including two Canadians selected first overall (Celebrini and Michigan's Owen Power in 2021). Article content College hockey players now make up about a third of NHL rosters, up from 20% in 2000, with Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf envisioning that number growing.
