Macklin Celebrini has turned a breakout season into another milestone, becoming the cover athlete for EA Sports’ NHL 27. At 20, the San Jose Sharks center is the youngest player ever chosen for the franchise’s cover, according to EA Sports.
The announcement adds another layer to a year already packed with achievements for the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. Celebrini’s rise has stretched from the ice in San Jose to the Olympic stage with Team Canada, making him one of the most visible young stars in hockey right now.
EA Sports picks a new face for the series
Celebrini will appear on both the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition covers when NHL 27 arrives later this year. He wears a white Sharks road jersey on the Standard Edition cover and a teal Sharks home jersey on the Deluxe Edition.
The previous youngest NHL cover athlete was Trevor Zegras, who was 21 when he appeared on NHL 23 as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. EA Sports said Celebrini now holds that distinction on his own.
Celebrini told ESPN he liked how the reveal turned out. “I thought it was amazing. I loved it,” he said. “Fairly simple process: They just sent it to me and I was just like, ‘Yeah, it looks good.'”
| Cover Edition | Jersey | Notable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | White Sharks road jersey | One of two cover versions for NHL 27 |
| Deluxe Edition | Teal Sharks home jersey | Shows Celebrini in San Jose’s home colors |
A season that pushed him into the spotlight
The cover comes after Celebrini set a San Jose franchise record for points in a season with 115, including 45 goals. He finished 56 points and 21 goals ahead of any other Sharks player in 2025-26, underscoring how far he separated himself from the rest of the roster.
His season also put him in award conversations across the league. Celebrini was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, voted on by the NHLPA, and finished fourth for the Hart Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s MVP.
Last week, he was named IIHF’s Male Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. That recognition reflected both his NHL production and his performance for Team Canada at the Olympics.
At the tournament, Celebrini led all players with five goals in six games and finished with 10 points. Canada won the silver medal in men’s ice hockey after falling to Team USA in the final.
“It was so much fun,” Celebrini said of the Olympic run. “Obviously, it was a really, really, rough way to end, but I think just the whole experience was so cool, just being in the Olympic Village and getting that experience with other athletes that were there.”
San Jose keeps building around him
Celebrini is entering his third NHL season and has already piled up 178 points, including 70 goals and 108 assists, in 152 career games. The Sharks have spent the offseason adding more help around him as they chase their first playoff berth since 2019.
Among the additions are defensemen Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Michael Kesselring, along with forward Ivar Stenberg, whom San Jose selected with the No. 2 pick.