Macklin Celebrini: The 20-Year-Old Who Made Video Game History!

Based on a report by Greg Wyshynski, ESPN’s senior NHL writer, on July 14, 2026

Who Is Macklin Celebrini?

Imagine a young person who is really, really good at a sport. That’s Macklin!

• He is 20 years old.
• He plays ice hockey for a team called the San Jose Sharks (a group in the NHL – that’s the big league where the best hockey players compete).
• His spot on the team is called a center (a player who starts in the middle of the ice).
• The Sharks chose him first in the 2024 draft (think of it like picking the first kid in a schoolyard game because he’s awesome).

Making Video Game History

After a great year in real hockey, Celebrini just did something new: he made video game history!

He will be the picture on the front of a new hockey game called “NHL 27” (made by EA Sports). That picture person is called the cover athlete. He is on two versions:

• Standard Edition (the regular game)
• Deluxe Edition (the special game with extra goodies)

Important: EA Sports says Celebrini is the youngest player EVER to be on the cover of their NHL game series. He is only 20! The previous youngest was Trevor Zegras, who was 21 on the cover of “NHL 23” with the Anaheim Ducks.

How Did He Get on the Cover? (Easy Steps)

1. The game company sent him the cover design.
2. They showed him what it looked like – he wears a white Sharks road jersey on the Standard Edition and a teal Sharks home jersey on the Deluxe Edition.
3. He said “Yes! Looks good.” He told ESPN: “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.’”

EA Sports also posted on Twitter (now called X) on July 14, 2026:

“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.”

A Super Star Season on the Ice

Celebrini’s year was like a storybook! Here are his big achievements:

• He set a San Jose Sharks team record for most points in one season: 115 points (that’s 45 goals – when you shoot the puck into the net – plus helps to teammates).
• He had 56 more points and 21 more goals than any other Sharks player in the 2025-26 season.
• He was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (given to the most outstanding player as voted by the hockey players’ union).
• He finished fourth for the Hart Trophy (like the MVP – most valuable player in the whole NHL).

Callout: In hockey, a “point” is like a gold star: you get one for scoring a goal and one for helping a friend score (called an assist).

Shining at the Olympics and Winning a World Award

Last week, he was named IIHF’s Male Player of the Year for 2025-26 (IIHF is the group that runs international hockey). Why? Because of his NHL greatness and his time at the Olympics (the huge world sports event) playing for Team Canada:

• He scored the most goals in the tournament: 5 goals in 6 games.
• He had 10 points total.
• Canada won 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.”

What’s Next for Celebrini and the Sharks?

Celebrini is going into his third NHL season. So far in his career (152 games), he has:

• 178 points
• 70 goals
• 108 assists

The Sharks want to reach the playoffs (the special tournament to win the cup) for the first time since 2019. To get better, they added new players in the offseason (the break between years):

• Signed defensemen (players who guard their own net):
  • Darnell Nurse
  • Jacob Trouba
  • Michael Kesselring
• Drafted a new forward (attacker) named Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick.

(ESPN also had an editor’s note linking to a story about Celebrini possibly considering a lower salary to help the Sharks – but that’s a separate tale!)

Summary

Let’s wrap it up like a neat package:

• Macklin Celebrini, a 20-year-old Sharks center, will be on the cover of NHL 27 – the youngest cover athlete ever.
• He had a record-breaking season with 115 points and was near the top for big awards.
• He was a world star at the Olympics for Canada, winning silver and a global player-of-the-year honor.
• He already has great career numbers, and his team is adding helpers for next year.

FAQ

1. What does “cover athlete” mean?
It’s the player whose picture is on the front of the video game box. It’s like being the face of the game!

2. Why is being the youngest cover athlete a big deal?
Because the NHL game has been made for many years, and no one as young as 20 was ever picked. It shows people think he will be a superstar for a long time.

3. What is the NHL?
NHL means National Hockey League. It’s the top group of hockey teams where the best players in the world play.

4. What’s the difference between Standard and Deluxe game versions?
Standard is the normal game. Deluxe often has extra bonuses, but both show Celebrini on the cover (just different jersey colors).

5. How did Celebrini do at the Olympics?
He played for Canada, scored 5 goals and 10 points in 6 games, and got a silver medal. He was later named one of the best players in the world.