| Aiden Celebrini | RD | Canada | AJHL | Oct 26, 2004 | 47 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 140 (NA) | 6'1'' | 190lbs |
Boston University commit. Same as Willander.
Elite Prospects Scouting Report
Usually, lower-scoring AJHLers, especially ones who are on the older side of a draft class like the October-born Aiden Celebrini don’t project well to the NHL. He might be one exception to the rule though.
While he did play for the powerhouse Brooks Bandits, the coaching staff assigned the power play roles to other defencemen on the team. Celebrini was mostly used as a shutdown defenceman, a penalty killer, and a stabilizing presence at 5-on-5. Those are the roles he could fill at higher levels too, next with Boston University, and eventually, at the professional level if his development goes right. Celebrini has the two main tools of the defensive defenceman – mobility and physicality. He closes down the space of attackers in the neutral zone and engages them quickly in the defensive zone. He’s aware. He scans for threats and denies lanes with his stick and defends the net front with his frame.
“He’s physical, pinches hard on opponents, defends well in this tournament, and he moves the puck in controlled, clever ways, for the most part: passes into space, quick one-touches, and cross-ice feeds,” Elite Prospects lead scout David St-Louis wrote in December.
The down performances were rare for Celebrini over the course of the season. Consistent and engaged, he made the same routine passing plays and contributed to the offence of the Bandits when he got the occasion. Right now, Celebrini projects as a No. 6 defenceman, mostly as a shutdown element, but his infrequent backdoor plays and feints at the point give us hope that there is more offensive potential in his game.
