Men's Ice Hockey | 6/26/2026 10:06:01 PM

The United States Hockey League (USHL) had two direct selections and two alumni picked during the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
 

Round	Pick	Player	NHL Team	Current Team	League	Position	Country
1	10	Wyatt Cullen	Nashville Predators	NTDP	USHL	F	USA
1	11	Tynan Lawrence*	St. Louis Blues	Boston University	Hockey East	F	USA
1	20	Ilia Morosov*	Buffalo Sabres	NCHC	NCHC	F	RUS
1	30	Jack Hextall	Calgary Flames	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL	F	USA

*Alumni in the NCAA

The Nashville Predators claimed Wyatt Cullen (NTDP) with the 10th overall pick, an announcement made by country music star Luke Bryan, who was in Buffalo to perform a concert. Cullen, a Moorhead, Minn. native and Minnesota commit, had nine goals and 24 assists in 48 USHL games over two seasons. He joins Seth Jones (2013), Eeli Tolvanen (2017), and Ryker Lee (2025) as players from the USHL drafted in the first round by the Predators.

Tynan Lawrence (Boston University) was selected by the St. Louis Blues one pick after Cullen, at 11th overall. After being named MVP for the Lumberjacks during the 2025 Clark Cup, Lawrence returned to Muskegon this season as a defending champion and captain, where he had 10 goals and seven assists in his first 13 games. In January, he made the jump to the NCAA, where he had seven points in 18 games as a freshman at Boston University. He finished his USHL career with 71 points in 69 games, as well as 18 points in 14 playoff games.

With the 20th overall selection, the hometown Buffalo Sabres selected Ilia Morosov (Miami University), who recorded eight goals and 12 assists in 36 NCAA games. Morosov played the 2024-25 season with the Tri-City Storm, where he posted 11 goals and 11 assists in 59 games.

The Calgary Flames picked Jack Hextall (Youngstown Phantoms) with the 30th overall pick. The Rolling Meadows, Ill. native had eight goals and 26 assists through 53 games in the 2024-25 season, then turned in 58 points on 20 goals and 38 assists in 59 games last year. He is committed to Michigan State.

• Of the six alumni who have played 10 or more games in the USHL during the Tier-1 era and were selected by the Blues, Lawrence is the highest overall pick. He joins T.J. Oshie (2005), Jaden Schmaltz (2010), Jordan Schmaltz (2012), Tage Thompson (2016), and Jimmy Snuggerud (NTDP).
• Wyatt Cullen’s father, Matt, played two seasons in Nashville from 2013-15 as part of his 21-year NHL career.
• Morosov joins a group of Sabres first-round picks who played in the USHL, including Jack Eichel (2015), Owen Power (2021), and Casey Mittelstadt (2017).
• The Calgary Flames picked three players from the USHL in the 2025 NHL Draft: Cullen Potter (1st Round), Mace’o Phillips (3rd Round), and Ethan Wyttenbach (7th Round). This marks the third consecutive year the Flames have taken a USHL player in the first round, as Calgary selected Matvei Gridin 28th overall in 2024.
• Seven players with 10 or more games of USHL experience were selected in the first round.

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and nine of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).