At just under 6 feet and nearly 200 pounds, Celebrini already has an NHL-ready frame, and indications are that he’ll turn pro and sign an entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Now, the biggest question is whether Celebrini will turn or return to Boston University for his sophomore season.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier and director of amateur scouting Chris Morehouse have said they want what’s best for Celebrini and all their draft picks. But it’s easy to see why Grier might want to get the North Vancouver native to sign now.

The Sharks are coming off a 19-54-9 season for a .287 points percentage, their worst as a team since 1995-96. Their average attendance this past season was 13,559, or 77.8% of SAP Center’s 17,435 seating capacity for hockey. That percentage was the lowest in the NHL, as the Sharks sold approximately 8,200 full-season equivalent ticket packages for 2023-24.

For 13 Sharks home dates, paid attendance ranged between 10,000 and 11,000, although the actual number of spectators in the building was far smaller.

But since the Sharks won the draft lottery, Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said last season ticket renewals have been at their highest pace since the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. New sales are also trending briskly.

Beche posted on social media Friday morning that the team gave out over 17,000 free tickets for their draft watch party that night at SAP Center.

“The mood around the franchise substantially changed after the number one pick went our way,” Becher said.

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