- Wyatt Cullen, son of three-time Cup champion Matt Cullen, sits 13th on Central Scouting’s final North American board
- He posted 45 points in 40 games for USA Hockey’s NTDP this season despite missing 22 games with an injury
- Read below for the full breakdown on the projected top-15 pick before the June 26 draft in Buffalo
The next Cullen is almost an NHL player.
Wyatt Cullen, the son of three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, has climbed to No. 13 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters and projects as a top-15 pick at the 2026 NHL Draft. The first round goes June 26 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
The 17-year-old left wing got there the hard way. A preseason injury cost him 22 games with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. He still put up 45 points in 40 games and led the program at 1.12 points per game.
Central Scouting associate director David Gregory told NHL.com what makes Cullen worth an early pick.
“The exciting thing about Wyatt is the ceiling. When he was able to string games together, he made that team completely different. All of a sudden, they were much more of a scoring threat every time he was on the ice. Other players got way more chances because he’s super crafty with the puck and his IQ is off the charts.”
Check out some of his best work from this season:
He saved his sharpest hockey for the biggest stage. Cullen finished third in scoring at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 World Championship with nine points in five games, even with Team USA settling for fifth.
His dad knows the grind. Matt Cullen played 1,516 games across 21 seasons and won the Cup with Carolina in 2006 and again with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.
Matt was asked what stands out most about his son’s development.
“He came in here as a smaller guy with some pretty good offensive abilities and he’s really learned the complete game. He’s had to fight for pucks and learn how to use his body a lot more.”
Wyatt, a Moorhead, Minnesota product committed to the University of Minnesota, isn’t leaning on the family name.
He pointed to the one lesson from his father that stuck.
“Pucks will come to me and plays open up if I’m skating, moving my feet and working hard.”
He won’t go first overall later this month. That argument belongs to Gavin McKenna and the race for No. 1. Cullen just might be the steal of the top 15.
