sports
Macklin Celebrini, 20, Named Cover Athlete for EA Sports NHL 27
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will appear on both the standard and deluxe editions of NHL 27, scheduled for release later in 2026. At age 20, he becomes the youngest player featured on an NHL series cover.
Jul 16, 8:23 AM·1m read2 sources
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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will serve as the cover athlete for both the standard and deluxe editions of EA Sports NHL 27. ESPN reported that the 20-year-old is the youngest player ever selected for the role in the series. Celebrini wears a white Sharks road jersey on the standard edition cover and a teal Sharks home jersey on the deluxe edition.
The NHL 27 reveal trailer is scheduled for release on July 16, 2026, at 11 a.m. ET. The Sharks selected Celebrini first overall in the 2024 NHL draft. In the 2025-26 season he recorded 115 points, including 45 goals, which set franchise records and exceeded the totals of any other Sharks player by 56 points and 21 goals.
Celebrini was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting and was named IIHF Male Player of the Year for 2025-26. At the 2026 Olympics he scored five goals and added five assists in six games for Team Canada, which won the silver medal. Celebrini has accumulated 178 points in 152 career NHL games through July 2026 and is entering his third season.
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