It is almost time to crown the NHL 24 cover athlete. NHL 24 is right around the corner, but once again here we are waiting to see who holds the honor this year. We are currently in the midst of a handful of cover athletes being announced for a variety of sports video games. EA Sports announced that Josh Allen would be the cover athlete for Madden 24, EA Sports FC 24 will have 31 different players on its cover, and NBA 2K24 will see the legend Kobe Bryant on its cover. That leaves us with NHL 24.
Each year, there are tons of players that deserve to hold the honor. It is usually someone who either represents the future of hockey or someone who made a major impact in the NHL. There are a variety of different cover athletes chosen for a wide variety of different reasons, but there are five athletes who really stood out above everyone else this season, who really deserve to have such an honor.
Mark Stone
I think it is only fair that we have the Captain of the Vegas Golden Knights on this list. Mark Stone was finally able to bring the Vegas Golden Knights their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He has a ton of heart and is a great leader in the locker room and on the ice.
Mark Stone didn’t have the greatest of great years, but that is because he was injured most of the season. However, in the 43 regular season games that he played in this year, he still managed to compile 17 goals, 21 assists, for 38 points. That is nearly a point per game player.
When it came to the 2022-2023 NHL postseason, Mark Stone really started to find his grove. In the 2023 playoffs Mark Stone recorded 11 goals and 13 assists for a total of 24 points, in only 22 games. If Mark Stone wasn’t healthy for the 2023 Playoffs, you can argue that the Golden Knights may not have won the Stanley Cup. Regardless, being the Captain of a team winning their first ever Stanley Cup in franchise history would definitely represent the cover of NHL 24 very well.
Jack Eichel
It is only a matter of time before the cover athlete features one of the two most recently expanded NHL teams on the cover. If there was another Vegas Golden Knight who would be granted the honor of cover athlete, I would have to guess it would be Jack Eichel.
Jack Eichel has gone through a lot over the years of his career. Originally drafted with Buffalo, the Buffalo Sabres thought that Jack Eichel would help turn their franchise around and help them win their first every Stanley Cup in franchise history. Unfortunately for them, it was the complete opposite as Jack Eichel helped the Vegas Golden Knights win their first ever Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The reason as to why Jack Eichel left Buffalo to go to Vegas was because he needed a very risky neck surgery that the Buffalo Sabres didn’t feel comfortable with going through with. Once he arrived in Vegas, the Golden Knights allowed him to get the risky surgery and he has excelled ever since.
In his two seasons with the Golden Knights, Eichel has played in 101 games. In those games, he has 41 goals and 50 assists (90 points). Jack Eichel also played in 22 Playoff games this year. This was the first year he ever got to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he made a massive statement.
In the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eichel scored 6 goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 22 games played. When he wasn’t contributing on the score sheet, he was making an impact on the ice in many other ways. If this is the year that EA Sports decides to put a Vegas Golden Knight on the cover, why not Jack Eichel?
Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk is a man that LOVES getting under the skin of the opponent. He plays a very physical game but backs it up with a ton of offense as well. Many people were not giving the Florida Panthers much of a chance in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. If you ranked all 16 teams that made the postseason, the Florida Panthers would have been ranked 16/16.
In the first round of the postseason the Panthers drew the Boston Bruins. The team that had the best regular season record in NHL history. The Panthers ended up going to 3-1 in the series to the Bruins before ultimately winning the series in seven games. After they beat the Boston Bruins, the Florida Panthers went on to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, before making it to the Stanely Cup Finals. Unfortunately for the Florida Panthers and Matthew Tkachuk, they ran into a brick wall in the form of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Matthew Tkachuk has now gone back-to-back seasons with more than 100 points, and he has done it with two different teams. Matthew Tkachuk had a career best 109 points this past season with the Florida Panthers and came two goals shy of tying a career high in goals by scoring 40 goals.
Matthew Tkachuk is a very young player and EA Sports tends to lean that way when choosing the cover athlete. The Florida Panthers went on a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Finals, one that many won’t forget. However, no one likes to remember the losing Stanley Cup team, but Matthew Tkachuk’s dominance all year may have won him the honor.
Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid is a superhuman. He is clearly the best player in the NHL and is going to go down in history as one of the best players to ever live. Connor McDavid continues to get better each year and just when you think he can’t get any better, he does.
In 2022, Connor McDavid had his career high in points with 123 (44 goals and 79 assists). In 2023, Connor McDavid shattered his career high by joining the 150+ points club by scoring a total of 153 points. McDavid scored 64 goals and compiled 89 assists. These are NHL 24 type numbers, but he actually did this in an NHL season.
The success that Connor McDavid had this past season ultimately allowed him to win the Art Ross (5x winner), Ted Lindsay (4x winner), Rocket Richard (1x winner), and the Hart Trophy (3x winner) all in the same year. The last player to win all four in the same season was Alex Ovechkin back in 2008.
Connor McDavid is no stranger to NHL video game covers. Connor McDavid was actually named the NHL 18 cover athlete and he may be on track to be on the cover of NHL 24. This would mark his second appearance on an NHL cover. EA Sports is not afraid to put a repeat player on the cover of an NHL video game and if there was to be a repeat cover athlete, McDavid has definitely earned that honor.
Jack Hughes
EA Sports tends to lean towards younger NHL superstars when choosing a cover athlete. Take a look at last year’s cover athletes in Sarah Nurse and Trevor Zegras. Two young athletes who excel in their sports.
Jack Hughes has only been in the NHL for four full seasons now, but he is helping the young New Jersey Devils get back on track to hopefully win another Stanley Cup for them soon. The New Jersey Devils also broke the record for the biggest season to season turnaround in NHL history. Finishing second to last in Metropolitan Division with a record of 27-46-9 (63 points), they completely went off the rails and decided to be one of the best teams in the NHL in 2023. In 2023, the New Jersey Devils completed the best season to season turnaround in NHL history by finishign second in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 52-22-8 (112 points). That is a 39 point increase over the course of one season. That is truly magnificent.
Jack Hughes was also able to set a new, New Jersey Devils single season point record by passing Patrick Elias’ 96-point season from the 2000-2001 season. Jack Hughes broke the point record with 43 goals and 56 assists for a total of 99 points. While he failed to get to the 100 point mark this year, I have no doubt in my mind that Jack Hughes is just getting his feet wet and will have many more opportunities to reach 100 points in a season. This just feels like the year where NHL 24 can feature a New Jersey Devils player for the first time since Martin Brodeur was on the cover of NHL 14.
Matty Beniers (Honorable Mention)
Matty Beniers is another young player who led their team to their first ever postseason berth in franchise history for the Seattle Kraken. Matty Beniers also won the Calder Trophy and was outstanding this past year. Having 24 goals and 33 assists for a total of 57 points is outstanding for a rookie. Sooner or later a Vegas Golden Knight or a Seattle Kraken player is going to grace the cover of an NHL video game. It may very well be this year.
David Pastrnak (Honorable Mention)
It is hard to not include any Boston Bruins players on this list given the year that they had. The Boston Bruins put together the best regular season in NHL history. Unfortunately, their incredible season came to an end in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to the hands of the Florida Panthers. However, David Pastrnak played a huge role in their record-breaking season and ended up scoring a career best 61 goals. The Bruins were a big representation of the 2022-2023 NHL season and EA Sports might want gamers to remember what an incredible year that they had.
Golden Knight Misfits (Long Shot)
EA Sports FC 24 announced that the rumored 31 athlete cover turned out to be true. So, why can’t the NHL 24 cover feature the original six misfits of the Vegas Golden Knights. The original six misfits are Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb and William Carrier. It would make for a very interesting cover and make the Vegas Golden Knights first ever Stanley Cup Championship even more special. Since the Golden Knight misfits are beginning to leave the Golden Knights and won’t be together on the team anymore, this seems like the only time EA Sports would be able to make a cover like this happen.
Connor Bedard (Extreme Long Shot)
Connor Bedard was the number one overall draft pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and I highly doubt EA Sports would put him on the cover of NHL 24. Connor Bedard has yet to play in an NHL video game and there has never been an NHL cover athlete on the cover prior to playing an NHL game. However, Connor Bedard is said to be a generational talent that is set to change the Blackhawks franchise forever. It sure would be cool to see such a highly rated prospect grace the cover, I just don’t see EA Sports doing something like that this year.
Are there any other players you think has a shot of being the cover athlete of NHL 24? Who would you pick?