San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will be the cover athlete for both the Standard and Deluxe Editions of EA Sports' "NHL 27," making him the youngest player ever to grace the NHL series cover. Celebrini, 20, shared his excitement about the feature, calling the process "fairly simple" and expressing his approval of the cover designs.

This honor caps a historic season for Celebrini, who was the Sharks' first overall pick in the 2024 draft. He set a franchise record with 115 points, including 45 goals, significantly outperforming his teammates. He was also a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award and a contender for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

Further cementing his achievements, Celebrini was recently named IIHF's Male Player of the Year for his stellar NHL performance and his role in leading Team Canada to a silver medal at the Olympics, where he led the tournament in goals and points. Entering his third NHL season, Celebrini has amassed 178 points in 152 career games.