The New Cover Athlete for NHL 27 is Macklin Celebrini, Marketing the Future Star!
On July 14th, it was announced that Macklin Celebrini will be on the cover of the new NHL 27 video game. Celebrini is coming off an insane sophomore season, scoring 45 goals and notching 70 assists for 115 total points.
The North Vancouver native is now one of the most recognizable faces in the league after this season, and it is a great sign for the NHL that the league is in good hands moving forward. This marks the fourth Western Conference player in the last five games to appear on the cover. Those players include Matthew Tkachuk (FLA), Quinn Hughes (VAN, at the time), Cale Makar (COL), Sarah Nurse (CAN, at the time; now with PWHL Vancouver), and Trevor Zegras (ANA, at the time).
That puts Celebrini in good company, considering those names and their influence on today’s NHL. While Connor Bedard is still establishing who he is as a player, I’m sure his time to be the cover athlete will come as well.
Macklin, who will be an RFA at the end of the 2026–27 season, is looking at a massive contract extension. If he can continue to produce like he did last season, I expect him to sign for a lot of money and a lot of years, helping draw in the next generation of NHL fans on the West Coast.
