Wyatt Cullen Confirms Plan to Join Gophers Hockey With Brother Next Season

Gophers hockey just wrapped up one of its most disappointing regular seasons in program history with an 11-21-3 record, but help is on the way. It sounds like Moorhead, Minnesota, duo Brooks and Wyatt Cullen are both planning to join the program next season.

Wyatt verbally committed to the Gophers last August, and his older brother Brooks flipped his college decision from Michigan State to Minnesota shortly after. Brooks is currently finishing up his second season in the United States Hockey League (USHL), and he will turn 20 years old in September, so he was expected to make the NCAA jump next season. Wyatt is roughly two years younger, so his timeline is a bit more surprising.

Wyatt is currently a member of the U.S. National U18 Team, which is his second year with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). He has a total of 36 points this season, with 8 goals and 28 assists in 35 games.

He recently did an interview on the USHL YouTube page, and he confirmed his plans to make the NCAA jump next season alongside his brother. He also talked about growing up around the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise when their father, Matt Cullen, was on the team. It was a fascinating six-minute discussion.

Wyatt is also a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft, and he has the potential to be selected in the first round. EliteProspects.com ranks him as the 24th-best player in the class, and he's well within the first-round range on numerous other scouting websites.

Listed at 6-foot, he could add a much-needed scoring punch to Minnesota's roster as soon as next season.

Brooks Cullen might not have the same hype as his younger brother, but he's an intriguing college hockey prospect in his own right. He won a state championship with Moorhead High School in 2025 before joining the Fargo Force. In his second USHL campaign, he has 16 points (5 goals and 11 assists) in 52 games this season.

There's an even younger Cullen brother, Joey, who had 40 points (19 goals and 21 assists) on Moorhead's state championship-winning squad as a 15-year-old this season. He hasn't made any college hockey plans yet, but the Gophers could be firmly in the mix for his recruitment as well.

There are plenty of questions surrounding Gophers hockey after suffering the most losses as a program since the 1997-98 season. Fortunately, they are adding some elite talent with NHL bloodlines to the program next season.