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Sharks' Macklin Celebrini Revealed for NHL 27 Cover, Discusses Milestone and More in B/R Interview
Julia Stumbaugh Jul 14, 2026
San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini is adding "EA Sports cover athlete" to his stacked NHL resume.
Celebrini was revealed Tuesday as the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 27 ahead of the video game's upcoming release.
"Playing the game growing up, and always messing around with my buddies, it's going to be pretty cool to have me on the cover and see me when I'm loading into the game," Celebrini told Bleacher Report.
EA Sports said in a statement the game is "spotlighting one of the game's brightest young talents as he ushers in a new era of speed and skill."
The release of Celebrini's NHL 27 cover comes as the Sharks center heads into the final season of his rookie contract.
Celebrini says he doesn't expect Leo Carlsson's record-breaking contract with the Anaheim Ducks to impact his own upcoming extension negotiations.
The Ducks allowed Carlsson to hit restricted free agency this offseason, only to end up committing to a record $18 million in annual salary in order to match an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I don't think anything that has happened this summer has affected what I'm going to do or how my situation is going to play out," Celebrini said. "I think, once we figure out what's right for both sides, that'll be that.
"There won't be any delaying for no reason, I don't think, but it's also got to come to an agreement on where everyone's comfortable."
Celebrini has previously indicated he's open to signing an extension this summer, while Sharks general manager Mike Grier said July 2 he expected to start conversations after the first wave of NHL free agency.
Those conversations could result in a historically lucrative contract for a player who's developing into one of the top centers in the NHL. Celebrini, who turned 20 in June, ranked fourth in Hart Trophy voting after racking up 115 points in 82 games with the Sharks.
He also led Team Canada in scoring at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics and was named IIHF Player of the Year after captaining the Canadian team at the 2026 World Championship.
"I think that was a really great experience for me, just being able to take that responsibility and also be surrounded by guys like [John Tavares] and [Sidney Crosby] and [Ryan O'Reilly]," Celebrini said about wearing the C at Worlds. "It's so many guys in that locker room that have won or been at the highest level for so long, and been around the game for so long.
"I was wearing the letter, but I was learning. I was soaking it all up from them and asking them questions."
Celebrini said he hopes the experience of playing knockout games for Canada at the Olympics and Worlds will pay off when he eventually makes his NHL playoff debut.
"It just forces you to kind of dial in the details of your game. You know that you can't make many mistakes, and that playoff hockey mentality kicks in a little bit earlier," Celebrini said about playing must-win games. "I think that's something that you can take into the regular season as well, especially with our team.
"We haven't been to the playoffs in the last seven years, so I think this season especially every game is going to matter in terms of points and standings. So it's going to be really important that we start off on the right foot."
Celebrini has plenty of reason to hope he'll finally be getting his first shot at NHL playoff action next spring.
The Sharks came within four points of a Western Conference Wild Card spot while finishing the 2025-26 campaign with 86 points, a 34-point jump in the standings from Celebrini's rookie campaign.
"It was a completely different feel," Celebrini said about his second NHL season. "Our first year, I think we were eliminated in February, so it was kind of deflating, just ending the year knowing that we didn't really have much to play for. Obviously, we were still out there trying to win and play as a team and get better, but the reality was we weren't close to a playoff spot.
"I think last year, just being in that hunt late and feeling that pressure of these games really matter and the intensity level that rose with playing some other teams that were also in the hunt and trying to get those points, I think that kind of hockey was fun to play... I think it was just a little taste of hopefully what we're going to go through in the next couple years."
When asked if the playoffs were the Sharks' goal for next season, Celebrini answered: "I hope so. I really hope so."
"I think that belief is probably in our locker room," Celebrini said. "Just knowing that we have the team to do it, so that should be on everybody's mind."
One of the veteran players Celebrini got to know at Worlds was Darnell Nurse, a longtime Edmonton Oilers defenseman who has since been acuiqred by the Sharks.
The Sharks have also added other experienced players like defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment during a busy offseason that has seen the team overhaul a significant chunk of its roster.
Celebrini says he thinks those veterans could play an important role for a Sharks team led by young players like himself, Will Smith, Michael Misa and 2026 No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg.
"I think we have a lot of younger defenseman that I think it will help having them around, and for all of us, for myself and Smith and Stenberg and all the young guys we have with Misa, just having some more veteran presence in the locker room is going to help all of us," Celebrini said.
Amid all that roster turnover, Celebrini is set to keep at least one constant on the top line as Smith heads into his third season on Celebrini's right wing.
"Chemistry and familiarity with each other. I think that was the biggest gain from the previous season to last season," Celebrini said his and Smith's development as a duo. "I think we were just more comfortable with each other, playing and reading off each other. I think the longer you play with someone, the longer you're with someone, the easier it is to read off them."
The Sharks might have added another potential linemate for Celebrini this offseason. Stenberg, a left-winger, could join Celebrini and Smith on the top line if he can earn a roster spot in his first NHL season.
"I'm not the one making the lines, but he's a heck of a player, and playing against him at Worlds you could see all the skill he had... It's a lot of fun to watch. So, I can't wait to hopefully eventually play with him," Celebrini said about Stenberg.
When Celebrini, who describes himself as a "huge Messi fan," isn't watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he's been preparing for his third pro season by watching game film and working out with other NHLers.
That includes Toronto Maple Leafs rookie and top 2026 draft pick Gavin McKenna, who is set to come to Vancouver for training within the next few weeks.
Penn State's McKenna, like former Boston University star Celebrini, took what has so far been a somewhat unusual path for a highly-ranked prospect by playing a single college season before entering the draft.
Celebrini feels more top prospects could take that route now that CHL players are eligible to play NCAA hockey.
"When I did it, it still wasn't really normal. I think a lot of guys were going to junior, playing in junior, and making the jump that way," Celebrini said. "Obviously, with the rule change, it helps a lot of kids get a little more time. I made the decision because I think it was right for me, and obviously everyone's going to be different. But I think you're going to see a lot more guys go there."
Celebrini's jump from BU to the Bay Area has coincided with a surge of interest in Sharks hockey.
Average attendance at Sharks games jumped from around 13,600 during Celebrini's rookie campaign to more than 16,000 last season. That included a sellout streak of 10 straight games, the franchise's longest since the 2014-15 campaign.
"From Year 1 to Year 2, I think there's a lot more attention, and people are showing up a lot more to our games... I hope we can keep that going," Celebrini said.
The first full trailer for NHL 27 featuring Celebrini as the cover athlete will be released Thursday.
Celebrini will get a first look at what it will take to lead the Sharks back to the playoffs, in front of what he hopes will be more sellout crowds, when the NHL releases the 2026-27 regular-season schedule the same day at 1 p.m. ET.
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