ST. LOUIS—St. Louis pulled off a hat trick in representation on this year’s cover for an EA Sports iconic video game franchise. 

The deluxe edition of NHL 26 features current hockey stars Matthew and Brady Tkachuk alongside their father, Keith Tkachuk. 

“My dad, Brady and I are all unique and play the way we want to. Sharing the cover of NHL 26 is an extension of that,” said Matthew Tkachuk, forward for the Florida Panthers and featured athlete across both editions of this year’s game. “I’ve always tried to bring my own style to the ice, and seeing that captured in NHL 26 makes it feel like it is really me out there.”

Matthew and Brady grew up in St. Louis and Keith was a St. Louis Blues forward for nine total years.  

“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” said Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honor to be featured on the cover, and having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”

“I always told the boys to play hard, be smart, and never lose their personality out there,” said Keith Tkachuk, five-time NHL All-Star. “What you see now is two players with unique styles, and I’m proud to be sharing the cover with them.”

This year’s installment to the hockey video game franchise boasts a new level of on-ice authenticity and superstar quality. Using NHL EDGE positional data of puck and player tracking, designers state that every star plays more like their real-life counterpart. They reimagined the ‘Be A Pro’ mode and claim the game will have more immersive and intense experiences.

“NHL 26 is the most true-to-life experience we’ve ever built,” said Mike Inglehart, Creative Director at EA SPORTS. “It was created with fans who crave hockey authenticity in mind — the ones who live and breathe the game and know how it should feel. From deeper gameplay detail to the biggest Be A Pro update since NHL 21, everything we’ve done this year is about bringing them closer to the teams they love and the moments that define the NHL.”

For more information on what to expect in NHL 26, like the new Goalie Crease Control System, visit EA. 

NHL teams begin their quest to the Stanley Cup in October, but gamers will hit slapshots in NHL 26 on Sept. 12. The game will be available on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S.