Celebrini Effect: ‘Large Uptick’ in Interest for Sharks Tickets

It’s not quite the Connor Bedard effect, but Macklin Celebrini is generating a tangible excitement among San Jose Sharks fans.

This is what Bedard brought after the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 Draft Lottery, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times: “The Blackhawks have already sold $2.5 million worth of season-ticket plans for 2023-24 in the 1.5 hours since winning the #1 pick — including more than 500 new full-season plans.”

According to a San Jose Sharks spokesman, as of Friday, just three days after winning the first-overall pick in the 2024 Draft Lottery, the Sharks had sold more full season ticket packages 10 days into May than they did during the entire month last year.

“Our sales and marketing staff is reporting a large uptick in people inquiring about a variety of ticket options for the coming season, including [full season] 365 memberships, flex plans, the Penthouse Lounge, suites, and group outings,” the spokesman told San Jose Hockey Now. “Some of these options are available now but many others are not yet on sale.”

You won’t have to wait until opening night to see the excitement either.

On Jun. 28, the night of the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, the San Jose Sharks will be hosting a Draft party at SAP Center. The Sharks are expected to select Celebrini No. 1 that night.

The Sharks are reporting, just three days after the Draft Lottery, that they’ve had more than 5,000 tickets claimed for the party, and to account for demand, they’ve already expanded capacity for the event to 15,000.

And we don’t even know yet if Celebrini is leaving Boston University for the NHL in 2024-25!

The Sharks say they’ll have a better idea about the “Celebrini effect” come training camp.

But it’s good to see, five years since the San Jose Sharks’ last playoff appearance, that the fans are still there.