With the tenth overall pick within the 2026 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators chosen forward Wyatt Cullen, a reputation that ought to sound familiar to Predators fans, considering that his father, Matt Cullen, suited up for the franchise during his own playing days.
And it just so happened that country music star Luke Bryan, who was in Buffalo for a concert concurrently the NHL Draft, made the announcement and welcomed Cullen to the organization.
When asked if he ever imagined that his name could be called by Luke Bryan, Cullen admitted that it was special.
“Under no circumstances, it was really cool to see him come out,” Cullen said via NHL Media on X. “It was a special moment needless to say.”
Cullen also admitted that he nearly “blacked out” from the special emotions that he was feeling after being drafted into the NHL.
“A whole lot of emotions, I feel I blacked out just a little bit,” he said. “But I’m super overjoyed and something I dreamed of my whole life. And it’s finally here, and it happened.”
Cullen then had some special words for his parents, thanking them for helping him navigate through a few of the ups and downs he’s experienced up to now throughout his playing profession.
“It means a lot,” he said of the support of his parents. “I mean, I’ve had a troublesome – not a troublesome 12 months, but some ups and downs. And I feel persevering through them, they helped me so much to undergo all of that, and yeah, it was super special. I mean, they care a lot about me, they usually’ve done a lot for me in my life, and I could not be more grateful for them.”
Cullen had 16 goals and 29 assists for the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program U-18 team this season.
With the tenth overall pick within the 2026 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators chosen forward Wyatt Cullen, a reputation that ought to sound familiar to Predators fans, considering that his father, Matt Cullen, suited up for the franchise during his own playing days.