What Lies Ahead for Nashville Forward Wyatt Cullen?

The Predators selected a flashy offensive playmaker with their first pick of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Wyatt Cullen / @PredatorsMuse on Twitter/X

Nashville General Manager Chris MacFarland made history in June by making 17-year-old forward Wyatt Cullen his first Predators draft pick since taking over the front office this offseason. Cullen is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound left winger from Minnesota who makes plays whenever he's on the ice. He's committed to play college hockey for the Golden Gophers, but is first making an impact for Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase.

Cullen, the son of three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, is still growing as young prospect, which has allowed his competitive edge and hockey-IQ to shine through at the national level. But as he moves into higher levels of hockey, he envisions a different role.

"I think I'm naturally supposed to be a center," Cullen told NHL.com. "I think I'm really comfortable in the middle with the puck. The defensive zone is the thing that I need to focus on the most, and I'm getting better at it."

The World Junior Summer Showcase has offered Cullen that opportunity, and he's shined, scoring a goal and finding two assists. He'll have even more of an opportunity with the Golden Gophers as a true freshman, as the program finished a surprising11-22-3 last season, finishing sixth in the Big Ten. He'll be joined by his brother, Brooks Cullen, who flipped his commitment from Michigan State to Minnesota to help provide juice to the Golden Gophers program.

Wyatt Cullen made some great moves to get the puck on net, with Carter Sanderson making it 1-0 USA. #WJSS pic.twitter.com/qNH3LxPTgx

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) July 26, 2026

Cullen shows the ability to remain calm in traffic and keep possession for his team. He utilizes space well on his first assist as he skates into space and rips a shot that gets rebounded home for a game-opening goal against Sweden.

He scores a goal by getting to the right place at the right time, pushing all the way in front of the net and creating a nice place for Mikey Berchild to find him for an easy goal, ensuring Team USA's victory.

Ethan Wyttenbach to Mikey Berchild and finally, Wyatt Cullen. USA leads 5-1 late. #WJSS pic.twitter.com/xFEp4WoJop

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) July 26, 2026

Cullen repaid the assist to Berchild on Wednesday by driving into space, occupying a defender and making a pass. His comfort on the puck allowed him to find Berchild alone with the Finland goaltender, giving Team USA a 2-1 lead.

Team USA has one game remaining on Saturday against Team Canada at 4 p.m. CT, where Cullen, if selected, will face fellow Nashville Predator first-round pick Brady Martin head-to-head in the last game of the event.

Wyatt Cullen (USA | #Preds) feeds it down low to Mikey Berchild (USA | #Canes) who jams it in on the power play. USA goes up 2-1.#WJSS | #WJCShowcase | @DraftProHockey pic.twitter.com/9rwkKelB4u

— On The Fly (@OnTheFly1515) July 29, 2026

The college hockey season begins in October and ends in February, with the postseason wrapping up in early April, meaning Cullen will be busy grinding and developing while playing a brutally competitive league. He'll see plenty of familiar faces from the Predators organization in the Big Ten, as he'll be teammates with defender Jacob Rombach at Minnesota. They'll face defender Tommy Bleyl and forward Ryker Lee at Michigan State, defender Cameron Reid and goaltender Jack Ivankovic at Michigan, and forward Erik Pahlsson at Ohio State.

He's expected to play at least two seasons with the Golden Gophers, making it a long wait to get the first rounder on the ice on Broadway, but he has all the potential to become one of the fresh faces of the NHL.

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