Macklin Celebrini’s career-defining year took another step forward Tuesday, when it was announced the young San Jose Sharks star will be the cover athlete of EA Sports’ NHL27.
Celebrini, 20, is set to become the youngest cover athlete in the history of the popular hockey game franchise.
The announcement comes on the heels of a season that launched Celebrini into NHL stardom, when he finished with 45 goals and 115 points to finish as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award. His 115 points set a Sharks franchise record and made him only the sixth teenager (he turned 20 in June) in NHL history to exceed 100 points in a season.
Earlier this summer, Celebrini was named the IIHF Male Player of the Year after becoming the youngest-ever NHL player to crack Canada’s men’s Olympic roster in February.
He scored five goals and finished with 10 points in six games, helping guide Canada to a silver medal at Milano Cortina.
He also captained Team Canada at the men’s World Championship in the spring, where he scored six goals with 14 points in 10 games and won best forward of the tournament despite Canada finishing in fourth place.
Celebrini is the second Sharks player to grace the cover of an NHL video game, following Owen Nolan in 2001.
