Trevor Zegras becomes first Anaheim Duck to appear on EA NHL video game cover

Trevor Zegras has had one of the most visible and exciting years for a hockey player in recent memory. Beginning in 2021 with a World Junior Championship and MVP award, making his NHL debut in the latter part of the 2020-21 season, and putting together a 61 point Calder Trophy runner-up performance in 2021-22, Zegras has added to his already extensive highlight reel by becoming the first Anaheim Duck to grace the cover of the EA Sports NHL video game franchise.

Appearing alongside the first ever woman player on the cover, Sarah Nurse, Zegras represents one of the most prominent faces of a seismic change in hockey culture. What has historically been a game and league filled with canned responses and about as much personality as an unseasoned potato is now beginning to embrace a rarely-seen fun and easygoing side, driven in large part by players like Zegras.

“I just always think about other ways you can get the puck to where you want it to go,” Zegras said in an interview about being the cover athlete. “I’ve been very fortunate in the past to never have coaches who hammer down on me about that stuff,” he added. Creativity has certainly been his strongest asset, which has played a major role in his rising stock in both the hockey world and outside of it in the mainstream sports landscape.

The signature creativity of Zegras is no better encapsulated by the inclusion of the now famous “Michigan” assist being included as a mechanic in the game, thus immortalizing the impressive move in the series. The play went viral with over 50 million views during a three-day span after he pulled off the behind the net flip pass to Sonny Milano for arguably the most unique play in NHL history.

Given Zegras’ creativity on the ice, it’s probably not much of a surprise that one of the teams Zegras loved playing with was the Detroit Red Wings (along with his hometown New York Rangers and other favorite Chicago Blackhawks) in earlier versions of the game as he was growing up. “I loved playing with Pavel Datsyuk,” Zegras exclaimed, nodding to one of the most creative players in NHL history.

But despite the rising hype, even Zegras was shocked when we learned he would be on the cover of NHL 23. “I was filling up my car at a gas station when I got the call. I was just like, ‘there’s no way, you definitely got the wrong guy’” the Ducks young star recalled. When asked about being on the cover with women’s hockey star Sarah Nurse, Zegras expressed excitement about the prospect. “I was pumped. I have a little sister, so for me to be next to the first female cover athlete, I was honored. It was a no-brainer and the coolest thing ever.”

NHL 23 will be released on all platforms Oct. 14, with additional information and the official gameplay trailer coming this week.