SF Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison welcomes San Jose Sharks top pick

After a few lean seasons, the San Jose Sharks hope that the tide will begin to shift in their favor. That officially started following the selection of forward Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick on Friday. Macklin immediately received a message from SF Giants hurler Kyle Harrison.

SF Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison welcomes San Jose Sharks top pick

Celebrini attended Boston University this past year and recorded 32 goals with 32 assists in 38 games. He earned several awards for his play on the ice including Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Scoring Champion and won the Hockey East Three-Stars Award.

Despite playing collegiately on the other side of the country and growing up in Vancouver, the young forward has local ties. His father, Rick, has served as the director of sports medicine and performance for the Golden State Warriors since 2018. The elder Celebrini was hopeful that the Sharks would land the top pick, so that his son can begin his professional career in the Bay Area.

As soon as the pick was announced, the Giants released a video from Kyle Harrison congratulating Macklin Celebrini on being selected with the first overall pick and welcoming him back to the Bay Area.

Harrison, who is from San Jose and grew up a Sharks fan, was having a solid season before landing on the injured list. He compiled a 3.96 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 7/9 K/9, and a 3.09 SO/W rate in 14 starts with San Francisco in 2024.

Harrison has never thrown more than 113.0 innings in a season since being drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft. He had already reached 77.1 frames this season, so there was likely going to be a stoppage in his workload at some point to manage his innings.

On the other hand, Celebrini is joining a Sharks team that is coming off of an abysmal year in which they posted a 19-54-9 record. After reaching the playoffs year after year for the better part of 20 years, the Sharks are in the midst of a dry spell. Sometimes, all it takes is one cornerstone player to help turn an organization around.