San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has been named the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 27, making him the youngest player in NHL history to receive the honor. The 20-year-old surpassed Trevor Zegras, who was 21 when he appeared on the cover of NHL 23. Celebrini will appear in a white Sharks road jersey on the standard edition and a teal home jersey on the deluxe edition.
Celebrini's selection follows a breakout 2025 season, where he ranked fourth in the league in both goals (45) and points (115). His rookie season in 2023-24 saw him score 5 goals and 63 points, earning him a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team. He also became the third-youngest player to record a 100-point season, behind only Sidney Crosby and Dale Hawerchuk.
The Sharks star was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (voted by NHLPA members) and finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting for league MVP. His performance also earned him a spot on Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics, where they won a silver medal.
Celebrini expressed excitement about the cover, calling it an "amazing" and "simple" process. He joins Owen Nolan as the only Sharks players to appear on an NHL video game cover, with Nolan featuring on NHL 2001.