Macklin Celebrini went on to become the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 27, and it needed only one word to sum it up. The San Jose Sharks center was revealed as the new face of the video game franchise on Tuesday.

The full reveal trailer premieres on Thursday morning. This makes him the youngest player ever to appear on the cover of the long-running series. 

This honour, earned after his breakout year, makes him just the second Sharks player. Following Owen Nolan on the NHL in 2001, nearly 25 years ago. Celebrini also edges out Trevor Zegras, who was 21 when he appeared on the cover of NHL 23. Trevor was once the youngest athlete to receive the distinction before Celebrini.

"Wow, pretty cool, I mean it's pretty amazing, me and all my brothers and buddies play this, I mean I used to see a bunch of my idols on the game, so it's pretty cool," Celebrini said in a video posted by EA Sports NHL's Instagram account.

Two years after being drafted first overall, he is now one of the faces of the sport. The cover features Celebrini in his San Jose jersey. There is a separate Deluxe Edition version showing him wearing the alternate captain's "A" that he holds with the Sharks. 

The reveal trailer drops Thursday. The timing coincides with the NHL's 2026-27 schedule announcement. This adds another marker to an already busy week for Celebrini and the Sharks organisation as they look to end a playoff drought that has stretched seven seasons.

Celebrini From Draft Pick to Franchise Face

Celebrini's cover selection is followed by a season that reset the entire Sharks' record. He finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points on 45 goals and 70 assists. That is enough to break San Jose's single-season scoring record, which was previously held by Joe Thornton. 

His pace that season made him a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award. It is given annually to the NHL's most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA.

His numbers extended well beyond San Jose. Celebrini led all players at the 2026 Winter Olympics with five goals. He helped Canada win the silver medal and earned a spot on the tournament's All-Star Team. 

He followed that by captaining Canada at the IIHF World Championship in May and finished second among all scorers with 14 points in 10 games. Those achievements led to Celebrini being named the IIHF's Male Player of the Year for 2025-26. 

According to NHL.com, he is now also a finalist for Best NHL Player and Best Breakthrough Athlete at this year's ESPY Awards. San Jose got to jump from 52 points in 2024-25 to 86 points last season.

This is a sign that Celebrini's individual performance is starting to show team improvement as well.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi