Electronic Arts has announced that Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf will be the cover athlete and spokesman for the upcoming hockey title, NHL 09.

“It is an incredible honor to be named to the cover of NHL 09,” said Phaneuf. “I’ve been a really big fan of the franchise for as long as I can remember and am looking forward to being the face of the game this year, particularly because of the significant improvements that have been made to the defensive game and the new checking engine.”

With just three NHL seasons under his belt, Dion Phaneuf has been nominated for the 2007-2008 Norris Trophy, is a two-time All-Star, and has put up 159 points thus far in his short NHL career. Phaneuf is joined by some of the NHL’s biggest international stars on packaging, including Alexander Ovechkin and Daniel Alfredsson.

NHL 09 will be available worldwide this September for the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 3, PC and the Xbox 360.