Macklin Celebrini Makes Video Game History at Age 20!

Written by Greg Wyshynski, ESPN’s senior NHL writer, on July 14, 2026, with multiple authors contributing.

What Is This All About? (ELI5 Intro)

Imagine you are playing a pretend game on ice with a stick and a small black disk called a puck. That game is ice hockey. The NHL (National Hockey League) is the biggest group of teams that play this game professionally in North America.

Macklin Celebrini is a 20-year-old man who plays hockey for the San Jose Sharks (a team in California). He stands in the middle of the ice as a "center" – that’s a job on the team to help both attack and defend. This season, he did something so great in real hockey that now he is famous in the video game world too!

He’s on the Front of a Video Game!

A company called EA Sports makes a video game called "NHL" where you can play hockey on your console. The new version is "NHL 27" and will come out later this year.

The big news: Celebrini will be the picture on the front (we call that a "cover athlete") of both the regular Standard Edition and the fancy Deluxe Edition of the game.

Important: According to EA Sports, Celebrini is the youngest player ever to be on the front of this game series. The old record was Trevor Zegras, who was 21 when he was on "NHL 23" as a member of the Anaheim Ducks (another NHL team).

When asked about being on the cover, Celebrini said:

"I thought it was amazing. I loved it. Fairly simple process: They just sent it to me and I was just like, ‘Yeah, it looks good.’"

What Is He Wearing on the Cover?

• Standard Edition: He wears a white Sharks "road" jersey (that’s the shirt they wear when playing in another team’s city).
• Deluxe Edition: He wears a teal (blue-green) Sharks "home" jersey (worn when playing in their own city).

Here’s what the game makers posted on social media (a "tweet"):

"The next generation is here. Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL cover athlete in history. Tune in for the #NHL27 Reveal Trailer on July 16 at 11 AM ET."

So mark your calendar: July 16 at 11 AM ET to see the trailer!

A Super Star Year in Real Hockey

Being on the game cover is just one cool thing. Let’s look at his amazing season:

• The Sharks chose him as the very first pick in the 2024 draft (like being the #1 chosen player from a group of new kids).
• In the 2025-26 season, he scored a team record: 115 points! In hockey, a "point" is either a goal (putting the puck in the net) or an assist (helping a teammate score). He had 45 goals. That’s 56 more points and 21 more goals than any other Sharks player that year.
• He was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (given to the most outstanding player as voted by the players’ union, the NHLPA).
• He finished fourth for the Hart Trophy (the award for the NHL’s most valuable player, like the best player in the league).
• Last week, he was named IIHF’s Male Player of the Year for 2025-26. The IIHF is the group that runs international hockey. This was because of his NHL success and his play in the Olympics for Team Canada.

Olympic Adventure

Celebrini played for Canada in the Winter Olympics. He scored 5 goals in 6 games and had 10 total points. Canada got the silver medal (second place) after losing to Team USA in the final. He said:

"It was so much fun. 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."

His Career Numbers and Team Upgrades

Celebrini is now going into his third NHL season. So far in his job:

• He has played 152 games.
• He has earned 178 points (that’s 70 goals and 108 assists).

The Sharks haven’t been in the playoffs (the special end-of-year tournament to decide the champion) since 2019. They really want to go back! So they added new players:

• Signed defensemen (players whose main job is to stop the other team from scoring): Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, and Michael Kesselring.
• Drafted a new forward (attack player) named Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 overall pick.

Related Reading (Editor’s Picks)

• There is another story about Celebrini possibly taking a discount on his pay to help the Sharks afford other good players. (You can search ESPN for "Celebrini consider discount help Sharks".)

Callout for Important Points:

• Macklin Celebrini is 20 and the youngest ever NHL video game cover star.
• He had a record-breaking season with 115 points for San Jose.
• He shined in the Olympics for Canada (5 goals, 10 points, silver medal).
• The Sharks are building a stronger team for next year’s playoff push.

Summary

Macklin Celebrini is a young hockey wizard. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest athlete to grace the cover of EA Sports’ "NHL 27" game. This comes after a phenomenal real-life season where he broke San Jose Sharks records, was among the best in the league awards, and represented Canada in the Olympics with pride. With new teammates joining the Sharks, fans hope to see him in the playoffs soon. Keep an eye out for the game trailer on July 16!

FAQ

Q1: What does "cover athlete" mean in simple words?
A: It means the person whose picture is shown on the front box or screen of a video game. It’s like being the face of the game!

Q2: Why is it a big deal that he is the youngest cover athlete?
A: Before him, the youngest was 21. Being 20 means he achieved this earlier than anyone else in the game’s history, showing he is super talented at a young age.

Q3: What is the NHL and what are points?
A: The NHL is the top league where professional ice hockey teams play. A "point" in hockey is counted when a player scores a goal (puts the puck in the net) or helps a teammate score (assist).

Q4: What is the difference between a home and road jersey?
A: A home jersey is what a team wears when playing in their own city (for Sharks it’s teal). A road jersey is what they wear when visiting another city (for Sharks it’s white).

Q5: When can I see the NHL 27 trailer?
A: The game maker said the reveal trailer will be out on July 16 at 11 AM Eastern Time (ET).