The National Hockey League celebrated San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini becoming the youngest NHL cover athlete in the games history as EA promoted a trailer announcement on Monday. The Sharks made Celebrini the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and he's rewarded them with 70 goals and 108 assists for 178 points in his first 152 NHL games. — NHL (@NHL) July 14, 2026Celebrini is exactly the kind of player the NHL should put its marketing gears behind. The 20-year-old became the youngest player to play for Team Canada in the Olympics in 2026 and became the youngest player to win the NCAA's Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player, showing he's one of the best young players in the NHL. He's the second Shark ever to grace the cover of EA's hockey video game franchise, following Owen Nolan's appearance on the cover of NHL 2001.The Sharks became the 14th franchise with multiple cover athletes throughout EA's 35-edition release, dating back to 1991. The Nashville Predators got their first cover athlete with defenseman P.K. Subban's appearance on the NHL 19 cover. Can the Predators become the 15th franchise with multiple players on the cover when NHL 28 releases next year?PK Subban / NHLCelebrini's selection for the upcoming edition's cover continues a recent trend of EA featuring young stars as cover athletes. Trevor Zegras, Cale Makar and the three Hughes brothers are each under 30-years-old and have each been featured over the last several years. Forward Matthew Wood is the youngest player on the Predators' front lines at 21-years-old, but Nashville just signed newly acquired 24-year-old Mavrik Bourque to a six-year contract, indicating they like the young player's future. Nashville is likely a few seasons away from having its next cover athlete, but the Predators may have drafted him in this summer's selection process. The Predators chose forward Wyatt Cullen with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 draft. He's just 17-years-old and will spend a season with Michigan State this winter, but is a flashy forward that can dictate the offense. If Cullen develops into a dangerous offensive player in the NHL, he can find himself on the cover of a hockey video game in a Predators uniform in the near future. What's up Smashville, it's Wyatt Cullen! 👋 pic.twitter.com/2M9E9sWqgY— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 27, 2026Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram for the latest news.