Will Macklin Celebrini fix the Sharks’ attendance problems?

SAN JOSE – Former NHL goalie Darren Pang’s first assignment, when he began working for the Blackhawks last year, was to cover the team’s draft party at a concert venue in Chicago.

Once Pang arrived, he was stunned by what he saw.

“There had to be 8,000 to 10,000 people at the sold-out event in anticipation of the first overall pick, and the fans were already wearing No. 98 sweaters,” Pang said of the crowd, there to watch the 2023 NHL Draft from Nashville and see Connor Bedard become a member of Blackhawks.

“When (general manager) Kyle Davidson said, ‘the Chicago Blackhawks select …’ the place went nuts,” Pang recalled.

The Sharks, winners of this year’s NHL draft lottery, could see a similar scene play out next month at their official draft party on June 28 at SAP Center in San Jose. Per a team spokesperson, more than 5,000 free tickets have already been claimed, leading the organization to open the upper deck and increase the seating capacity for the event to 15,000.

It’s one indication, especially after a season when the Sharks were last in the NHL in attendance percentage, that fan interest is on the rise.

In the days after they won the NHL draft lottery and earned the right to select No. 1 overall, the Sharks say they experienced “a large uptick” in people inquiring about various ticket options, including luxury seating, club memberships, flex plans, and group outings.

The Sharks would not release specific figures, but the spokesperson said that during the first 10 days of May, the team sold more full-season ticket packages than in any full month of May in recent years. Also, the Sharks said after their season-ticket drive was completed in February, they experienced an 87% renewal rate, their highest in six years.

Sharks fans will likely scoop up more tickets following the release of the 2024-25 schedule and after the NHL Draft, which takes place June 28-29 inside the Las Vegas Sphere. The Sharks and GM Mike Grier are expected to select center Macklin Celebrini, a potential franchise cornerstone, with the first overall pick.

To be sure — Celebrini, this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner as college hockey’s top player — could still return to Boston University for his sophomore season. Last week, Dr. Rick Celebrini, Macklin’s father, told reporters that nothing has been ruled out.

“We wouldn’t hesitate to consider (returning to BU),” he said.

But if Celebrini is in a Sharks uniform next season, the team would love to see his arrival provide the same bump in ticket sales that the Blackhawks experienced with Bedard.

After winning the 2023 draft lottery, the Blackhawks reportedly sold $5.2 million worth of new tickets, including 1,200 new full-season plans, in just 12 hours.

Some may dispute those numbers, but the Blackhawks’ average paid attendance over 41 home games increased from 17,167, or 83.7% of capacity, in 2022-23 to 18,836 (95% of capacity) this past season.

The Sharks’ 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.

That’s a far cry from the organization’s glory days. Starting in 2006-2007, average attendance for home games dipped below 17,000 just once in 14 years, including a sellout streak that lasted 205 games — 177 in the regular season and 28 in the playoffs — from December 2009 to October 2014.

Per the team, fans who purchase Sharks365 memberships this year can buy a regular full-season ticket package for one year for between $32 and $114 per seat. Club-level access seats are between $129 and $250, and seats in the luxe Penthouse Lounge are between $247.50 and $431.50 per game.

Time will tell if Celebrini can have the same effect in San Jose as Bedard, who wears No. 98, had in Chicago. For now, according to the Sharks, interest is on the rise.

“I’ve been going to games in San Jose long enough to know that when they get excited about something, they come out in droves,” Pang said of Sharks fans. “The instant credibility that you get with the first overall pick, I’m just telling you, it’s automatic, and it’s really fun to be around.”

Staff writer Danny Emerman contributed to this story.