Macklin Celebrini arrived as a bit of an unknown.

Sure, his fellow invitees at Canada鈥檚 selection camp for the 2024 world junior hockey championship had seen the highlights and heard the chatter.

鈥淚 know he鈥檚 good,鈥� centre Owen Beck said with a grin after the team鈥檚 first on-ice session. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know a ton.鈥�

鈥淔irst time I鈥檝e skated with him,鈥� added defenceman Denton Mateychuk.

The group is getting an introduction to the 17-year-old centre expected to go high 鈥� potentially No. 1 鈥� at June鈥檚 NHL draft in Las Vegas.

If there were any doubts, they quickly melted away.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 play his age,鈥� said goaltender Mathias Rousseau. 鈥淧lays a more mature game. More mature even with his size. He鈥檚 a great player.鈥�

Celebrini has been ripping up the NCAA in his first season at Boston University with 10 goals and 25 points in 15 games against opponents sometimes seven or eight years his senior.

The Vancouver native was also named the USHL鈥檚 player of the year at age 16 in 2022-23 after putting up 46 goals and 86 points in 50 games with the Chicago Steel.

Still, most of the 29 other hopefuls looking to make Canada鈥檚 roster for the world juniors in Gothenburg, Sweden, had never shared the ice with the six-foot, 190-pound Celebrini until walking into Oakville鈥檚 Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking a little bit, having a couple of laughs,鈥� said forward Conor Geekie. 鈥淵ou can tell he鈥檚 a pro already. That鈥檚 what makes him so special, it鈥檚 just how he carries himself.

鈥淗e鈥檚 only 17 years old. Excited to see where it goes.鈥�

For his part, Celebrini is just trying to fit in ahead of the under-20 showcase that gets going Dec. 26 after missing out on the summer under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a shoulder injury.

鈥淲e have a great group,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just selection camp, but hopefully we get going and we build some chemistry. I鈥檓 just excited.鈥�

Canada head coach Alan Letang, like most of his players, only knew Celebrini largely from video and scouting before the group assembled west of Toronto.

鈥淓ven in the lineup of drills, he鈥檚 always touching the puck and he鈥檚 always stickhandling,鈥� Letang said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just very focused on the things he needs to do to continue to be successful.鈥�

The son of Golden State Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini focused on rehabbing his injury this summer while also preparing his body for the rigours of U.S. college hockey.

鈥淚 had a lot of people around me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew it wasn鈥檛 going to be easy making that transition 鈥� a lot of older, heavier guys.鈥�

One player at Canada鈥檚 camp familiar with the younger Celebrini is Fraser Minten. The pair grew up in the same B.C. hockey circles that included Connor Bedard.

鈥淗e played against my brother growing up,鈥� said Minten, who suited up four times with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season before being returned to junior. 鈥淗e would just terrorize everyone.鈥�

There was even some talk around Canada鈥檚 camp, which will be cut down to a final 23-man roster Wednesday, that Celebrini has some of the attributes that allowed Bedard to dominate last year鈥檚 tournament, including superior edge work and an elite shot.

鈥淪imilar style,鈥� Rousseau said. 鈥淗e can play.鈥�

Celebrini knows there are plenty of eyes on him 鈥� both at camp, potentially the world juniors, and as the season churns towards the Sin City draft.

Despite that attention, he鈥檚 squarely focused on the next drill, the next shift, the next game.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot to worry about right now,鈥� Celebrini said. 鈥淛ust trying to be the best I can be here.鈥�

CREASE COMPETITION

Rousseau is in a battle with Domenic DiVincentiis, Scott Ratzlaff and Samuel St-Hilaire for the three goaltending spots.

鈥淗ealthy competition,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody knows what the others can do. Everybody wants to prove that he鈥檚 the best. It makes everybody push harder.鈥�

The 19-year-old undrafted goaltender for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League鈥檚 Halifax Mooseheads said Thomas Milic鈥檚 performance backstopping Canada to a second straight gold at the 2023 tournament in Halifax as an undersized netminder provides inspiration.

鈥淜ind of the same story as me,鈥� said the five-foot-11, 172-pound Rousseau.

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