11 MN natives go in NHL Draft
Minnesota hockey had another strong showing at the NHL Draft over the weekend. Moorhead native and incoming Gopher Wyatt Cullen led the way, going 10th overall to the Nashville Predators. Rogers defenseman Jayden Kurtz followed early in round two, taken 45th by Anaheim, while Hermantown’s Victor Plante went 47th to Detroit, joining the same Red Wings organization as his brother Max. In all, I found 11 Minnesota natives selected, including Apple Valley’s Zach Wooten to Winnipeg, Andover’s K-J Sauer to Philadelphia, Bloomington’s Teddy Lechner to Colorado, and late-round picks Bobby Cowan, Parker Trottier and Jimmy Rieber. For the State of Hockey, it was another draft weekend with Minnesota fingerprints all over the board.
Minnesota Natives Picked in the 2026 NHL Draft
| Player | Hometown | Pos. | Round / Overall | NHL Team | Most Recent / Listed Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Cullen | Moorhead | F | 1st / 10th | Nashville Predators | U.S. NTDP / Minnesota commit |
| Jayden Kurtz | Rogers | D | 2nd / 45th | Anaheim Ducks | Rogers High School / Wisconsin commit |
| Victor Plante | Hermantown | F | 2nd / 47th | Detroit Red Wings | U.S. NTDP / UMD commit |
| Mikey Berchild | Excelsior | F | 4th / 105th | Carolina Hurricanes | U.S. NTDP / Denver commit |
| Zach Wooten | Apple Valley | F | 4th / 116th | Winnipeg Jets | Green Bay, USHL / Wisconsin commit |
| KJ Sauer | Andover | F | 5th / 136th | Philadelphia Flyers | Andover High School |
| Teddy Lechner | Bloomington | D | 5th / 152nd | Colorado Avalanche | Holy Angels / Augustana commit |
| Bode Laylin | St. Michael | D | 6th / 164th | Calgary Flames | Tri-City, USHL / St. Thomas commit |
| Parker Trottier | Edina | F | 6th / 189th | Montreal Canadiens | U.S. NTDP / Notre Dame commit |
| Bobby Cowan | Edina | F | 7th / 205th | New York Islanders | Western Michigan |
| Jimmy Rieber | Woodbury | D | 7th / 210th | Anaheim Ducks | Waterloo, USHL / Miami Ohio commit |
