Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini becomes youngest NHL cover athlete in history

Jul 14, 2026, 11:41 AM ET|Comments (0)

from Sportsnet,

The San Jose Sharks star forward was announced on Tuesday as the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 27, making him the youngest to be featured yet.

Celebrini, who just turned 20 in June, is coming off a 115-point season in 2025-26, posting 45 goals and 70 assists over 82 games.

His historic year saw him join an exclusive list of teenagers who scored 100 points in an NHL season, joining Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby (who did it twice), Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Jimmy Carson.

Celebrini reached the 100-point mark in 72 games, and only Gretzky (61 games in 1979-80) and Crosby (65 games in 2006-07) reached the milestone faster as teenagers.

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