Wyatt Cullen faced adversity right from the start of his draft season.
“I pulled my hip flexor off my bone on the first day on the ice so that was obviously tough,” the United States National Team Development Program winger said. “I was out for two months. Once I got back it was a little tough, in and out of the lineup a little bit with injury problems again, with that same thing, but once I got healthy everything kept getting better and better.”
Cullen started the season outside the top 64 in TSN director of scouting Craig Button’s rankings. NHL Central Scouting designated him a ‘C’ level prospect meaning he was projected to be selected in the fourth round or later.
Cullen proceeded to score 16 goals with 45 points in 40 games with the USNTDP under-18 team. He also had three goals with nine points in five games at the under-18 World Championship.
Cullen surged all the way up to No. 13 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. Button has him 21st overall on his final list and tabbed Cullen as one of his six players to watch heading into draft night.
“My skill set and the talent that I have I think that’s kind of my biggest thing,” Cullen said when asked what makes him stand out among this year’s class. “My hands and my skating are my two biggest strengths. I think my skill set is up there with the best guys in this draft.”
It’s clear the 17-year-old from Moorhead, Minn. is riding a wave of momentum into next week’s draft in Buffalo. How high can Cullen climb? When does he expect to be picked?
“I feel like top 15 would be reasonable right now,” he said. “Whoever picks me, I’m obviously gonna be super grateful. I think it’s kind of in that range. I try not to think about it too much because it’s coming up here. I’m pretty excited for it.”
During a conversation with TSN, Cullen reflected on his dramatic rise. He also spoke about the growth spurt that helped jumpstart his draft stock and how his father, three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, helped guide him.
The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
TSN: How did you deal with the injury adversity early in such an important season?
Cullen: It was tough. It’s a big year and I came into it feeling really good about myself. It was definitely a step back, but I have really big faith in God, and I think that’s kind of what got me through it. That was definitely huge for me. I also grew in some areas that maybe I couldn’t if I wasn’t hurt. So, in the long run, I think it helped me.
TSN: What are some of those areas?
Cullen: My shooting and my strength. I got to put in so much time in the shooting room and shot 200, 300 pucks a day. I kind of got my upper-body strength a little stronger. I think those are two big areas that were huge for me.
TSN: What are you most proud of when you think about the season that you had?
Cullen: I played super consistent. I think every night I contributed to our team. Offensively, I think I produced pretty well. Probably the biggest thing for me was just playing consistently and trying to help our team win every night.
TSN: Was there a moment where you’re like, okay, I’ve kind of established myself?
Cullen: The CHL USA Prospects Challenge. That was kind of me getting my name out there [with a goal and an assist in a win on Nov. 25]. I feel like that was my first big game since coming back. You’re playing some of the best guys in Canada and see I’m right up there with them. So that was a big moment for me and my confidence.
TSN: What allowed you to step up in some of those showcase moments?
Cullen: That’s kind of who I am. I think I played at my best in the big moments and saw that at the CHL [Challenge] and in the All-American Game and the Worlds too. In those moments I found a way to rise and that’s who I am. That’s the player that whoever drafts me is gonna get. I’m gonna play my best in the biggest moments.
TSN: Do you get nervous?
Cullen: No, I don’t. I think I’m just super calm under pressure. I’m just super poised with the puck and then don’t get too panicky in those moments. I just go out there and play my game and play like I’m a little kid on a pond hockey rink.
TSN: Your dad played more than 1,500 NHL games. What’s the best advice you received from him?
Cullen: This draft year, I think just about staying level-headed, especially going through that injury. That was huge, especially after coming back. You’re gonna have a bad game. You’re gonna have a good game. I think it’s just huge that you stay level-headed and not get too worried about the ups and downs. You just gotta focus on the next game. That was big.
TSN: Your dad was a second-round pick (35th overall) back in 1996, are bragging rights on the line if and when you get picked higher?
Cullen: (Smile) For sure. I’ll hopefully give him some chirps if I go higher.
TSN: How do your playing styles compare?
Cullen: I’d say I’m a little more offensive. He was more of a 200-foot centre and a penalty killer. I’m more of a power-play guy and a really offensive forward. But I’ve taken a lot from him. I think I’m growing in my 200-foot game, which is huge. I think that’s a main focus for me is kind of getting good in the D-zone and having a good stick and hopefully maybe playing on the penalty kill. I think that’d be good for me in the future. But, yeah, I think I’m just a little bit more offensive.
TSN: Do you have a favourite memory of growing up around the game?
Cullen: The two years in Pittsburgh when they won the Stanley Cup, me and my two brothers and Trevor Daley’s son, we went to school at the practice rink, so that was pretty special. You’re in the locker room with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and all those guys. Definitely some memories that I’ll never forget.
TSN: Do you have a favourite Crosby moment?
Cullen: Shooting pucks with him in the shooting room. That’s what I remember the most. And just being in the locker room with him was pretty special.
TSN: What did your dad tell you about what it takes to win?
Cullen: It goes back to the level-headed piece. You just gotta go day by day and work to get better every day. You watch playoff hockey now, it’s so fast, so physical. Those are two big points I need to work on: my speed and strength. I think obviously at that level the playoffs are so, so competitive. You just got to compete and compete everywhere on the ice. That’s probably the biggest thing.
TSN: Your dad’s a good role model, of course, but in the current NHL, who is a role model for you?
Cullen: It’s been Jack Hughes for the last couple years. That’s kind of the main guy and also James Hagens lately. Those two guys I try to model my game after. I think we have some offensive similarities with the way we handle the puck and skate. I think there’s some similarities there.
TSN: The growth spurt is a big part of your story. What were you at when you joined the Program?
Cullen: I was 5-foot-5 my first year. I’m 6-foot-1 now. It’s been kind of a crazy couple years of growing. It happened at the right time, though. Grateful for it.
TSN: How much more room do you feel like you have to grow?
Cullen: Hopefully a couple more inches. I think that’d be great to get to 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3. But if I stay where I’m at right now, it’d be good too.
TSN: What was it like adjusting to it?
Cullen: It was all about the skating. I had to put a lot of time into the edge work. Once I dialled in my skating and stuff like that everything else in my game kind of took care of itself. I had to put a lot of work in the summertime with my dad on the skating piece of it.
TSN: What was the combine like in Buffalo?
Cullen: A really cool experience. It’s something I was looking forward to once I saw I’d be invited halfway through the year. I was super excited. It was a really good experience for me. Just talking to all the GMs and coaches and stuff like that was pretty cool. The testing was really hard for sure but I think it was definitely a fun time. I had some buddies there too, so it was a really good time.
TSN: What was the toughest question you got during the interviews?
Cullen: The one with Montreal, I had to throw a puck into a bucket and if you miss they said, ‘You’re not getting drafted here.’ I missed, unfortunately (smile). That was probably the craziest one.
TSN: How did the interview with the Penguins go?
Cullen: Really well. They did some video and showed some of your bad clips. That was really, really helpful for me to see that stuff. I’ve known a couple of them [in Penguins management] for a while. I think that went really well.
TSN: What’s that film session like?
Cullen: You just sit at the end of the table and watch your bad clips and explain what you’re thinking and what you can do better.
TSN: Can you give us an example?
Cullen: I missed the net and then I didn’t backcheck really hard. So, I kind of just had to explain, like, you gotta be better and you gotta get back faster.
TSN: You’ll be back in Buffalo for the draft. Anything special planned as far as your outfit that night?
Cullen: A navy blue suit with some designs in the jacket on the inside. There’s some Bible verses and my number and signature and stuff like that. It’ll be pretty cool.
TSN: What Bible verse resonates the most for you?
Cullen: It’s the one, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ That’s the biggest one for me. I think a lot of people use it but that’s kind of the one I like the most and that’ll be on my jack
