Macklin Celebrini chatter rises as Chicago Blackhawks takeover last place

The Chicago Blackhawks played a complete game (and then some) in front of the home fans last night at the United Center, but it fell just short of enough.

The Nashville Predators won in a shootout after a scoreless overtime period. Even in the loss, the Hawks looked pretty okay. Nick Foligno had himself a three-point night with two goals and an assist on Jason Dickinson’s second-period goal.

The loss slides the Blackhawks past the San Jose Sharks and into dead last in the National Hockey League standings with a 7-16-1 record. Nobody likes losing and it’s hard to spin it as good. But Hawks fans have turned to looking towards the future and the daydreams of Macklin Celebrini have begun.

The Chicago Blackhawks’ loss puts them in the top spot in the draft lottery, AKA Macklin Celebrini territory.

Everything we went through last year with rookie phenom Connor Bedard is starting to happen all over again. After the loss last night, Celebrini’s name was trending on Twitter, thanks to Hawks fans who are ready for another losing season.

Celebrini is a freshman forward at Boston University, the 3rd ranked team in the NCAA. In 15 games this season, he has 10 goals and 15 assists, 25 total points. Understandably, the 17-year-old is the projected top pick in next year’s draft.

There is a local tie here, too. Celebrini played in the USHL last year for the Chicago Steel which plays out of Geneva, IL. He wasn’t that big of a deal – he just scored 46 goals and was named the USHL Rookie of the Year, Forward of the Year, and Player of the Year.

If the tank is on, so be it. This guy rules.