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FN Draft Profiles: Wyatt Cullen has shown great offensive upside in limited action
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Adrian Kiss
May 27, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: May 27, 2026, 01:22 EDT
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As you move deeper into the draft, it becomes harder to find players who are essentially sure things. While the potential upside is still there, you begin to look at specific aspects of a player you think you could mould into elite skill.
When you see a name late in the first round with plenty of offensive upside while still demonstrating he could play a full 200-foot game, your eyes light up at the possibility of landing a player like that in the late first round or early second round. In this case, that player is Wyatt Cullen.

Scouting report

Hailing from Moorhead, Minnesota, the name Cullen may ring a bell. As the son of former 21-year NHL veteran Matt Cullen, Wyatt enters his draft year with NHL pedigree in his bloodline. Standing six-foot-one and weighing 180 pounds, the left-shot winger recently hit a growth spurt. A year ago, he was listed at five-foot-eight and 146 pounds, so he is still growing into himself and discovering his strength.
Cullen spent his early hockey years playing with various AA and AAA junior teams in Minnesota. He has spent the past two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team while also playing games with the National U-17 and U-18 teams.
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala recently had this to say about Cullen:
“Cullen was the most dynamic offensive player at the USNTDP this season. He produced 16G-29A in 40 games. Cullen is a unique talent who has the skill to beat opponents off the rush, make plays in small areas in the offensive zone, and manage the puck on the power play. His off-puck defensive detail and consistent effort in all three zones fell off for me at the worlds, but his offence wins out at this stage of the draft”.
Sebastian High from Elite Prospects also had a glowing review of Cullen:
“There’s a reason he ended up as our highest-ranked NTDP player on our most recent 2026 NHL Draft ranking, 12 slots ahead of his next-closest teammate. With top-15 skill, a relentless motor, high-end skating, on-puck versatility, a recent growth spurt, and nearly eligible for next year’s draft, the arguments in favour of Cullen’s trajectory and odds keep on accumulating.”

The numbers

The most difficult part about assessing Cullen’s game is the limited sample size.
In his first season with the National Development Team, he played 33 games, recording three goals and 14 assists.
This season, the number of games he played was limited due to injury. Cullen played only 15 games but recorded six goals and 10 assists. With those 16 points, he ranked first among all NTDP players in the USHL in points per game. He also recorded 2.73 shots per game, which ranked third on his team.
Unfortunately, these are the only numbers teams have to go off of heading into the draft.

Availability and fit

Cullen has a lot of offensive upside. He can create scoring chances from anywhere in the offensive zone, which is sure to catch the eye of the general manager of a team that struggles to score goals.
The effort defensively is there and he is responsible in his own end. While it is not the strongest part of his game, it is something that could see major improvement as he continues to grow and get stronger. His continued growth will also help his offensive game. Projected to have the ceiling of a top-six forward, Cullen could complement the Flames’ current prospect group and help the rebuild turn out well.
Various scouting outlets have Cullen being selected somewhere late in the first round or very early in the second round. The Flames have a plethora of draft picks in this range, so there is a decent possibility Cullen could still be available when they make a selection.
Wyatt’s dad, Matt Cullen, was drafted 35th overall in 1996. Surely there is a family battle over who will end up being drafted higher. Hopefully, the Flames have the chance to help Wyatt win that battle.

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