Nashville Predators Select High-Rated Prospect For 10th Pick
The Nashville Predators welcomed the newest member to their franchise Friday in the first round of the NHL Draft.
With the No. 10 pick, the Predators selected left winger Wyatt Cullen from United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). As of now, Cullen is currently committed to play collegiately at Minnesota.
Cullen was the No. 13 overall rated prospect according to Central Scouting's player board heading into the draft.
Cullen is 6-foot and 172 pounds and is 17-years-old. He was seen as one of the more electric players in this year's draft class, which makes Cullen a pick with a lot of upside and potential.
Scouting reports on Cullen rave about his ability to skate. Cullen is seen as one of the better skaters in the 2026 class with plenty of vision on the ice. He is a player that can make things on the offensive end with his shooting and his handling of the puck.
His size and strength as a player is something that could prove to be a challenge to Cullen early in his professional career, but his playmaking makes up for it.
Cullen played in 34 games for the USNTDP. In those games, he scored 12 goals and 22 assists, which is good for an average of 1.0 points per game. He also averaged 2.35 shots on goal per game.
Cullen does not have a ton of experience given his 34 games he played in, but the Predators did not seem to be turned off by that. Cullen is a player that sets up for offensive production depth and strength on wing position.
His defensive ability is not what Cullen is known for, but it is not something that sets a team back. Sure, Cullen could continue to improve defensively, but that will naturally come with experience and time in the pros.
Cullen is the son of former NHL player Matt Cullen, who played 21 seasons in the NHL. Two of those seasons were with the Nashville Predators. Matt Cullen is a three-time Stanley Cup champion.
It is the first selection under the new front office management of the organization. The Predators hired President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland from the Colorado Avalanche on June 2.
Going forward through the rest of the draft, it should be interesting to see how MacFarland and his guys continue to draft in the final six rounds of the draft Saturday. The Predators have 10 picks between rounds two through seven tomorrow, starting with the No. 42 pick in the second round.
The second day of the NHL Draft begins at 11 a.m. CT on NHL Network and ESPN+.
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Graham Baakko writes for both Nashville Predators On SI and Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as an intern for GamecockCentral.