NHL 27 cover star leaked early.

The National Hockey League has historically made it a point of featuring the biggest stars in the game on the cover of their annual NHL video game series, and by extension that leads to excitement each and every year around the new cover's reveal.

In recent years we have seen the likes of Matthew Tkachuk and Cale Makar on the cover of the popular video game, but this time around we are going to see someone even younger featured on the cover. According to a report from Insider Gaming's Mike Straw, the cat is already out of the bag with San Jose Sharks star forward Macklin Celebrini set to grace the cover. Straw came to this conclusion when inspecting some of the preorder links that have gone out for the game, with Celebrini's name being included in some of those links.

Celebrini has only spent two seasons in the NHL since being drafted first overall by the Sharks at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, but has already become one of the most exciting young stars in the sport. Many believe that he has supplanted the hype that was once behind Chicago Blackhawks star forward Connor Bedard, and his inclusion on this cover would be one more sign of that becoming a reality.

It's a huge moment for the Sharks organization as well who will see their first player gracing the cover since Owen Nolan appeared on the cover of NHL 2001. Although it has been a 26 year waiting period for the Sharks and their fans, I think they will have been more than happy to wait if Macklin Celebrini was their reward for their patience.