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Somewhere deep in the recesses of a few hockey fans’ closets in Tennessee, a few Nashville Predators jerseys with “CULLEN” on the back might be left over from the two seasons that Matt Cullen played there in the 2010s.
Those vintage jerseys may be back in fashion a few years from now, after the Predators used the 10th pick in Friday’s NHL Draft to grab future Gophers forward Wyatt Cullen, Matt’s son.
The pick of Wyatt, who will turn 18 around the time the Gophers begin their training camp in the fall, was announced by country star and Predators fan Luke Bryan, who was in Buffalo, N.Y., to play a music festival on Friday night. Bryan welcomed the puck-moving forward to Music City amid cheers from the fans in attendance.
With his parents by his side, Wyatt admitted being patient through the draft’s first nine picks and not hearing his name called was the toughest part of the night.
“It was a little nerve-wracking kind of waiting up to that point, but once it happened there was so much joy and I’m so grateful,” he said. “It’s something I’ve obviously dreamed of my whole life and I got a little emotional there, but I’m just so overjoyed and so happy.”
Cullen was the first draft pick by new Predators general manager Chris MacFarland, who came to Nashville last month after building the Colorado Avalanche into the NHL’s top team for the 2025-26 regular season. The Predators, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, are coached by former Wild forward Andrew Brunette. One of Nashville’s assistant coaches, former Wild forward Darby Hendrickson, will have a chance to keep a close eye on Cullen next season, as the Preds’ top pick will be Gophers teammates with Hendrickson’s son Beckett.
Among the 1,516 NHL games played by Matt Cullen, 139 of them were for the Predators between 2013 and 2015. A star in Moorhead and at St. Cloud State, the elder Cullen won the 2006 Stanley Cup in Carolina, and was a member of Pittsburg’s Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017.
In an ESPN interview immediately following the draft announcement, Matt admitted that growing up in NHL locker rooms has been a benefit for Wyatt and his two other sons.
“He was able to have some experiences around some unique times and playoffs and Stanley Cup runs, getting to meet guys and seeing what it takes to get to this level,” Matt said, in a conversation with ESPN’s Leah Hextall.
Matt Cullen is joining the new Gophers coaching staff and will be the program’s director of player development under new head coach Brett Larson.
“Whenever you have somebody in the top 10 in the NHL Draft, it’s an honor for the player and it’s an honor for our program,” Larson said. “It’s something that every kid dreams of and I know the whole Gopher team is cheering for Wyatt right now.”
As was widely predicted, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna was the first overall pick, going to the Maple Leafs as Toronto fan and Canadian music icon Justin Bieber made the announcement. McKenna was the Big Ten’s top freshman in what was expected to be his only season of college hockey. The announcement was met with a mix of cheers — from the many Toronto fans who had made the journey to Buffalo for the announcement — and boos from the Buffalo fans who clearly don’t care for the Maple Leafs.
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Those vintage jerseys may be back in fashion a few years from now, after the Predators used the 10th pick in Friday’s NHL Draft to grab future Gophers forward Wyatt Cullen, Matt’s son.
The pick of Wyatt, who will turn 18 around the time the Gophers begin their training camp in the fall, was announced by country star and Predators fan Luke Bryan, who was in Buffalo, N.Y., to play a music festival on Friday night. Bryan welcomed the puck-moving forward to Music City amid cheers from the fans in attendance.
With his parents by his side, Wyatt admitted being patient through the draft’s first nine picks and not hearing his name called was the toughest part of the night.
“It was a little nerve-wracking kind of waiting up to that point, but once it happened there was so much joy and I’m so grateful,” he said. “It’s something I’ve obviously dreamed of my whole life and I got a little emotional there, but I’m just so overjoyed and so happy.”
Cullen was the first draft pick by new Predators general manager Chris MacFarland, who came to Nashville last month after building the Colorado Avalanche into the NHL’s top team for the 2025-26 regular season. The Predators, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, are coached by former Wild forward Andrew Brunette. One of Nashville’s assistant coaches, former Wild forward Darby Hendrickson, will have a chance to keep a close eye on Cullen next season, as the Preds’ top pick will be Gophers teammates with Hendrickson’s son Beckett.
Among the 1,516 NHL games played by Matt Cullen, 139 of them were for the Predators between 2013 and 2015. A star in Moorhead and at St. Cloud State, the elder Cullen won the 2006 Stanley Cup in Carolina, and was a member of Pittsburg’s Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017.
In an ESPN interview immediately following the draft announcement, Matt admitted that growing up in NHL locker rooms has been a benefit for Wyatt and his two other sons.
“He was able to have some experiences around some unique times and playoffs and Stanley Cup runs, getting to meet guys and seeing what it takes to get to this level,” Matt said, in a conversation with ESPN’s Leah Hextall.
Matt Cullen is joining the new Gophers coaching staff and will be the program’s director of player development under new head coach Brett Larson.
“Whenever you have somebody in the top 10 in the NHL Draft, it’s an honor for the player and it’s an honor for our program,” Larson said. “It’s something that every kid dreams of and I know the whole Gopher team is cheering for Wyatt right now.”
As was widely predicted, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna was the first overall pick, going to the Maple Leafs as Toronto fan and Canadian music icon Justin Bieber made the announcement. McKenna was the Big Ten’s top freshman in what was expected to be his only season of college hockey. The announcement was met with a mix of cheers — from the many Toronto fans who had made the journey to Buffalo for the announcement — and boos from the Buffalo fans who clearly don’t care for the Maple Leafs.
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