#chel 27

[keelpay]

EASPORTSNHL: The moment Macklin Celebrini saw the NHL27 cover for the first time. 👀 Catch the full reveal on July 16 at 11 AM ET. ➡️ https://youtu.be/vkz-p4wYegU

[71savage]

Quick thoughts about Mack's NHL27 cover video w/ Bardown under the cut:

He still refuses to do the EA Sports voice, lol

Still waiting for Sid to be on the cover

Fave music: country (sigh) and drake (ugh)

Thinks his character is probably a 92 rating this year

He doesn't play Chel much w/ Will, only games during the summer with his sibs

He thinks misa is probably the best gamer on the sharks!

His fave NHL was 25 w/ the Hughes cover (blegh)

his ideal Chel team would include Mac, McDavid, him, Quinn (Hughes I'm assuming) on D and ASKY in net!

Admits golf is the answer for hockey players

fave courses are in Monterrey and Arizona

The boy is just lucky that he's talented and adorable is all I'll say

[keelpay]

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.

[keelpay]

Macklin Celebrini on Sharks contract talks, Sidney Crosby and more

Greg Wyshynski Jul 14, 2026, 11:00 AM ET

The 20-year-old San Jose Sharks star was revealed as the youngest cover athlete in the history of EA Sports' NHL series, gracing both the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition of "NHL 27" when they release later this year.

That honor follows the most rewarding season of Celebrini's hockey life. He set a Sharks franchise record for points in a season (115) while earning a nomination for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, as voted on by the NHLPA. Celebrini made the Team Canada roster for the Winter Olympics -- with endorsements from Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon -- and led the tournament with five goals in six games as his nation won the silver medal in men's hockey.

The next few months could be even more consequential for Celebrini. He's eligible to sign a monster contract extension with the San Jose Sharks this summer. Meanwhile, many believe the Sharks could be a playoff team for the first time in Celebrini's three-season career.

We spoke with Celebrini last week about all of this, as well as Leo Carlsson's offer sheet, video gaming and how he would feel about LeBron James joining his Golden State Warriors, where his father Rick is the director of sports medicine and performance. Enjoy!

Got any exciting plans this summer?

Summer's going by quick. Kind of just enjoying it. I was at a couple of the World Cup games, which was awesome. But yeah, just keeping it low-key.

What did you think of the "NHL 27" cover? What was the process like in creating it?

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's the gaming culture like inside the Sharks? Are people playing on long road trips?

There are a couple guys that like to play. The majority of guys I don't think play very much. We have a PS5 in our locker room lounge area. So if guys want to play, they can. We get on there a little bit after practice or if we're just hanging out for a little bit. It's pretty chill.

You recently won IIHF Male Player of the Year, based on not only what you did in the NHL, but also during the Olympics. What surprised you the most about being an Olympian?

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. I heard from a couple of the guys that had been there before that it was a little bit different this year with the different villages and the mountain sports not being able to come into the main village where we were. But I mean, it's still really, really cool just to be in that whole environment.

It's been an interesting offseason for the Sharks. How happy are you that you'll be able to watch new San Jose defenseman Jacob Trouba hit other people rather than being worried about getting hit by Jacob Trouba?

[Laughs] It'll be great not having to check over my shoulder, see if he's coming. I'm super excited to have him and all the other guys we've added this offseason onto our roster. I think we're all really excited for what we have and what we're building. I think we're all just excited to get going.

This is one of your first offseasons where you've had to deal with a good amount of people leaving. How has that been for you seeing William Eklund [traded to Ottawa] and some of those guys on their way out?

It's super tough. Like you said, it's my first time really going through that, where we have a lot of guys that I've been with the last two years, and have been with the organization for quite a while, move on. It's tough obviously just as friends and guys that you've grown close to over the last couple years just going through stuff together. That's the hardest part.

But obviously in different cases for every guy, it's probably a better opportunity or just a different opportunity. Something that they can get excited about and move on to. I know from the guys that I've talked to that they're really excited about where they're going. But we'll miss them and miss having them around the locker room.

Another interesting change for you as an NHL player: This is the first time there are now expectations on your team to succeed next season. With the improvements that you've made and where you guys finished last year, a lot of people expect the Sharks to break the playoff drought that goes all the way back to 2019. How does that feel to have your team emerge from the rebuild and all of a sudden people are expecting you to be a playoff team?

It's amazing. It's really exciting. That should be our goal for this year. We've missed playoffs for seven years, so that'd be something that would be a great accomplishment for us -- getting over that hump. It'd be a great step for our whole group to get that experience. And I think we have the team to do it and make a little bit of a run.

Do you think the way that Mike Grier has worked this offseason, adding the veterans that he's added, is an endorsement that he feels the team is ready to make that leap?

Yeah, I do. That's the message that he was wanting to send was that we're ready to take that next step and really start making a push for the playoffs.

My first year was tough, just still wanting to get a lottery pick and still in the midst of that rebuild. But I think obviously we got some lottery luck this summer and we got a pretty amazing player at No. 2 [forward Ivar Stenberg] and some other great players throughout the draft. I think now it's just kind of turned that corner and I think we should all be excited just wanting to win more.

You're the first player I've spoken with since the Leo Carlsson offer sheet drama. What have the conversations been like among the boys about that contract and what the Flyers attempted to do here and with the bag that Leo secured?

I've talked to a couple guys about it. I think at first everyone was kind of surprised just because $18 million [annually] hasn't really flown around the NHL much at all. So, obviously, you look at it as a big number, but he's an amazing player. He got it because he deserved it.

I think that's going to start being the new normal in the NHL, those kinds of numbers with the cap going up and all that stuff. So I think obviously it was really good for him to get that number and it's also good for everyone else. That means the salaries are raising for players. That's the most important thing for a lot of the guys, just to get that financial stability.

Immediately everybody's like, "Alright, what's Connor Bedard getting this summer?" And then everybody's like, "Alright, Macklin can sign his contract this summer too." I know you've said recently there's really nothing to report on the contract front quite yet, but are you hungry to get this thing done earlier than later with the Sharks. Could you wait beyond this summer and feel OK about things?

I think it's just whenever it makes sense for both sides. I still have a year left. There's no reason to rush. But yeah, I think we'll kind of see how it goes.

Sid and MacKinnon have taken you under their wing. Those two guys have taken less on big contracts to try to help their team under the cap. Maybe it was a different time, because the cap was a lot lower than it is now, but it was their philosophy to do that. Does what those guys did, when they were faced with potentially huge raises, factor into your thinking at all?

Yeah, 100%. I mean that's why all of us play. We want to win. We're competitive and we want to win. Obviously, guys want to get paid -- as they should, because you've got to make a living. There are guys that deserve those numbers that are getting them, but of course you want to put your team in the best spot possible where you give a team the ability to make moves necessary to win. I think all that goes into the decision.

Like I said, I haven't really had many discussions about it or thought through it too much yet. Still kind of on the fence. But yeah, there's definitely a lot to think about.

We've talked before about you growing up around elite athletes because of your dad. I've read about how you reacted when you found out Sidney Crosby wasn't a robot. Was it still surprising to find out that he's just a guy, or having been around all those NBA stars, you know that these are just people?

I think being around some of the NBA guys, you start to realize that they're just human beings. But for someone that I idolized and looked up to my whole childhood and aspired to be like, I think it was a little bit different just being able to hang out with him and talk to him for those first couple times.

I don't know what the relationship with a Sidney Crosby is like. Can you just text him and be like, "Hey, what's up?"

I try not to bother him too much.

Finally, given your history with the Golden State Warriors, you've got LeBron golfing with Draymond. You have Steph saying he's reached out to LeBron as a sort of recruiting tactic. As a fan, how much would it blow your mind to see LeBron play with the Warriors?

It'd be weird, just because of that rivalry with him on the Cavs. I feel like they've been going at it every step of the way. It'd be like if Ovi and Sid were played together. It'd be a little bit weird at first, but I think it'd be cool for the game.

[wingswin0516]

Macklin Celebrini is all but confirmed to be the EA Sports NHL 27 cover athlete.

Cool! YAY MACK you’ve made it big, this is so good for your career and for Sharks publicity! We’re so happy for you!! 🥳🥳 Right?

WRONG.

The NHL cover curse exists, and call me crazy but I don’t want my baby goat anywhere near it.

The poor kid has had enough hardship. He already has “cursed” rumors buzzing around him, and it’s no wonder. Despite consistently being the best player on his team and one of the best in every league he has played in, he has never won any major tournament or championship. Just in his short 2 years as a pro: He was drafted to a last place sharks team where he spent his first year losing spectacularly. Played for team Canada and lost in the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Championships. Dragged the Sharks kicking and screaming toward a playoff spot in his second year, only to fall out in the last weeks of the season. Lost Olympic gold in overtime after having an incredible tournament as the Olympics leading goal scorer AND Canada’s youngest player. Made his debut as Canada’s captain in the 2026 World Championship, where they finished in a disappointing 4th place, while still being named the IIHF player of the year.

So what is the Chel cover curse, you ask? Historically, players that are featured on the cover of the NHL video game have gone on in that season to either miss playoffs or lose in the 1st round. There is also a rumored increased likelihood of injury, poor performance, and/or damage to the player’s image after making the cover.

Here is a list of players featured and their team’s outcome:

NHL 23 - Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse (Ducks miss playoffs. The following season Zegras breaks his ankle and plays only 31 games, and is the beginning of his very rocky relationship with Ducks leadership that eventually led to his trade to the Flyers)

NHL 24 - Cale Makar (Avs lose round 2)

NHL 25 - Jack Hughes + special edition: all 3 Hughes brothers (Devils lose round 1, without Jack who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March ‘25. He went on to have a freak finger injury at a team dinner in Nov ‘25 that required surgery and 5 weeks off. Luke also dislocated his shoulder in Jan 2026, requiring surgery. I think we are all aware of the hit the brothers’ reputation has taken in the past year, with criticism of their post-Olympics antics plus Quinn’s controversial departure from the Canucks.

NHL 26 - Matthew Tkachuk (panthers miss playoffs. Matthew misses the first half of the season following surgery for a torn adductor muscle. Also part of the team USA Olympic controversy though I don’t think anyone was really surprised by this one)

And an interesting article as well.

SO, with the evidence presented, I’m sorry but I wish Mack would have followed in the footsteps of his notoriously superstitious idol Sidney Crosby and turned down the cover. Here’s to hoping he will be one of the lucky escapees. And with Will Smith Hockey lucky girl at his side it’s entirely possible 🤗