Matthew Tkachuk of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers has been announced as the cover athlete for the standard edition of NHL 26.
The NHL 26 revel trailer will go live on EA SPORTS NHL's YouTube channel at 12pm EST Aug. 6.
This marks a return to a one-man cover star after the Hughes brothers graced the cover of NHL 25.
Tkachuk finished tied for the team lead in scoring in both the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has 88 goals and 254 points in 211 regular season games and 69 points in 67 playoff games in three seasons with the Panthers.
Florida have made the Stanley Cup Finals all three years Tkachuk has been on the team.
He is the first Florida Panther to be on the cover since John Vanbiesbrouck in NHL 97. Olli Jokinen appeared on several editions of NHL 2005 is Europe.
He’s loud. He’s relentless. He’s a problem. Now he’s the face of the game.
See the full #NHL26 reveal August 6th: https://t.co/dXmeA7gpdwpic.twitter.com/2s2cneeJMs— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 4, 2025
Given Tkachuk's recent success, his personality, and popularity in the sport this is a good choice for the cover.
NHL 26 is expected to release in early September.
Photo Credit: EA SPORTS NHL
