New York Rangers Draft Radar May Scouting Report
Potential steals, goalscorers, and more right handed defensemen. This edition of the Draft Radar Series highlights three more names who could be of interest to the Rangers.
With the NHL Draft just about a month away, the attention to any prospect who could be of interest to the New York Rangers, specifically ones projected to go in the first round, only increases from here on out.
This month, the Draft Radar Scouting Report will focus on two forwards who could very well be available to the Rangers with the 26th overall pick they received from the Dallas Stars via Carolina, as well as another right-handed defenseman who may not be getting enough attention in a defense heavy draft class.
This month’s edition of the Draft Radar series focuses on Wyatt Cullen, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, and Ryan Lin.
Wyatt Cullen - Forward, U.S. National Talent Development Program, USHL
Caleb Malhotra isn’t the only son of a former bottom-six center who played a role with the Rangers during the 2000s. That’s right folks, Wyatt Cullen is indeed the son of one-time Rangers forward (and three time Stanley Cup Champion) Matt Cullen, whose storied NHL career included stops with eight different teams.
Cullen is going to be one of the more difficult players to project where in the first round he goes. This was a player who earlier in the season was expected to be more of a high second round pick, but has since been all over various mock drafts and rankings. NHL’s final North American Central Scouting list has Cullen ranked 13th. The Athletic’s Corey Pronmann and Scott Wheeler have him going 10th and 12th, respectively, whereas Tankathon has him listed 16th. While his rankings are a bit all over the place, it’s evident that many view him as an exciting player in this class.
It’s important to note that Cullen’s season was a bit limited by an injury, as he only appeared in 15 USHL games with the U.S. Development Program. Throughout those games, Cullen registered six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. According to Elite Prospects, Cullen was credited with 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points in 40 USNTDP outings.
From what he’s shown in a small sample size, Cullen has proven to be an offense driver who skates well, has great vision, and an even better shot. But, more notably, he is an exceptionally creative and dynamic player. At 6-1, 176 pounds, Cullen underwent a massive growth spurt, sprouting from just 5-8 just last season. That mixed with his recent rise in draft stock, could very well indicate we are just scratching the surface in terms of what this player can bring to the table.
2026 U18 World Junior Championship: 5 GP | 3 G | 6 A | 9 PTS
If you watched any of Team USA’s outings at this year’s U18 World Juniors, Cullen was surely one of the names that caught your attention. In his goal against Czechia at the start of the highlight reel, he wastes no time deciding to shoot the puck on an odd-man rush. While he acknowledges the pass is there, he ultimately decides to shoot—something the Rangers need more of from their players. The puck finds its way through to get Cullen on the board, but his impact would not stop there.
Later in that game, his patience with the puck is on full display as he walked the entirety of the high slot until he found a passing lane to Mikey Berchild—who is also a prospect I’ll be covering in a future story and whom the Rangers should absolutely prioritize later in the draft. Berchild was open in the slot and walked the pass in which led to a goal just moments later. Cullen and Berchild’s chemistry throughout the tournament was quite evident as the two connected on a number of goals for Team USA.
Cullen’s playmaking is another strong suit of his, as you see in the clips above he’s often running the point on the power play. In their game against Denmark, Cullen walked in from the point to find Berchild for a one timer that was destined for the back of the net. Goalscoring is something Cullen’s more than capable of on his own, too, as his top highlight from the tournament came on his second goal against Germany. Cullen walked right through the slot, danced around a defender, and beat the goalie on a fantastic individual effort to add to his team’s lead.
While this is a prospect who wasn’t being spoken about in abundance this season, there is a very good chance he goes on to be a steal of the draft. Cullen is committed to attend the University of Minnesota next season, which will be a huge step in his development process. Listed as a wing, Cullen will surely have a chance to play some center with the Golden Gophers, which will only increase his stock moving forward.
