Predators’ Wyatt Cullen talks ‘special’ Luke Bryan moment at 2026 NHL Draft

With the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators selected forward Wyatt Cullen, a name that should 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 at the same time as the NHL Draft, made the announcement and welcomed Cullen to the organization.

When asked if he ever imagined that his name would be called by Luke Bryan, Cullen admitted that it was special.

“Not at all, it was really cool to see him come out,” Cullen said via NHL Media on X. “It was a special moment for sure.”

Cullen also admitted that he nearly “blacked out” from the special emotions that he was feeling after being drafted into the NHL.

“A lot of emotions, I think I blacked out 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 some of the ups and downs he’s experienced so far throughout his playing career.

“It means so much,” he said of the support of his parents. “I mean, I’ve had a tough – not a tough year, but some ups and downs. And I think persevering through them, they helped me a lot to go through all of that, and yeah, it was super special. I mean, they care so much about me, and they’ve done so much for me in my life, and I couldn’t 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.

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