O F F
THE
D R AW
The 2026 NHL Draft Spotlighted The Depth
Of American Hockey With 53 U.S. Selections
By Sean Shapiro
p U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S
8
// SUMMER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM
2026 NHL First Round Draft Picks
Player Rd (Pk) Team Hometown
Chase Reid 1 (7) Seattle Kraken Chesterfield, Mich.
Wyatt Cullen 1 (10) Nashville Predators Moorhead, Minn.
JP Hurlbert 1 (23) Detroit Red Wings Allen, Texas
Jack Hextall 1 (30) Calgary Flames Rolling Meadows, Ill.
Thomas Bleyl 1 (31) Nashville Predators Schenectady, N.Y.
F U L L D R A F T R E S U LT S H E R E
CHASE
REID
WYATT
CULLEN
PHOTOS BY Getty Images
F
ifty-three Americans heard their name called
during the 2026 NHL Draft, including nine full-
time members of USA Hockey's National Team
Development Program.
Wyatt Cullen, who the Nashville Predators drafted 10th
overall, said it was a rewarding weekend not only for himself,
but the other players he'd gotten to know through USA Hockey.
"It'd kind of cool; you work hard and play with some of these
guys for a while, put in the work for a couple years, and then you
get to see them live their dream this weekend, too," Cullen said.
"It's one of those days where you feel great for so many other
guys you know that have put in the work."
Chase Reid, JP Hurlbert, Jack Hextall and Tommy Bleyl also
went in the first round. Meanwhile, Brooks Rogowski, Casey
Mutryn, Jayden Kurtz, Victor Plante, and Timofei Runtso all
heard their names called in the second round.
Talent On Tap
NHL DRAFT
