NHL 27 Drops New Official Trailer & Release Date After Revealing Cover for Sharks' Macklin Celebrini

EA Sports touted the differentiation of all 32 NHL teams as part of the NHL 27 reveal trailer, which dropped on Thursday.

In the trailer, which was posted on the NHL and EA Sports NHL YouTube channels, Mike Inglehart of the NHL 27 development team explained that each team and their arenas will feel unique, down to the mascots, pregame introductions and goal songs:

Inglehart also noted that every team will have their own on-ice feel with differing play styles to match their real-life counterparts.

NHL 27 is set for a Sept. 11 release, but those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition can play seven days early on Sept. 4.

The reveal trailer dropped two days after EA Sports announced that San Jose Sharks superstar forward Macklin Celebrini is the game's cover athlete:

In just his second NHL season in 2025-26, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points and helped lead Team Canada to a silver medal at the Winter Olympics.

Because of Celebrini and the team's many other young, up-and-coming players, the Sharks promise to be a popular choice among gamers for NHL 27's Franchise Mode.

A massive, new Franchise Mode wrinkle was officially announced as part of the reveal trailer as well in the form of Connected Franchise.

In Connected Franchise, gamers will be able to compete in online leagues with their friends, allowing them to trade with each other and play games against each other.

Connected Franchise is a beloved feature in EA's Madden NFL and College Football video game franchises, and after much speculation, it is finally coming to NHL 27 as well.