Wyatt Cullen would be a good fit for the Panthers at the 2026 NHL Draft

The Florida Panthers find themselves in a situation no one expected them to be in. Fresh off of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, an injury-riddled season led them to a bottom-10 finish, and with the results of the draft lottery now in, we officially know they’ll be picking ninth.

But who should the Panthers take with the ninth-overall pick? When asked what the perfect marriage between player and team in the draft could be, Daily Faceoff prospects analyst Steven Ellis talked about Wyatt Cullen to Florida on Daily Faceoff Live.

Steven Ellis: That’s one where, you ask me a month ago, I probably don’t have him in the top 10, but he was always been a 15-25 guy for me. But just the way he finished the USHL season, the way he dominated the U18s, from talking to scouts, everyone’s a believer.

He’s a fast winger, really hardworking, two-way guy. [I was] talking to scouts that actually thought he was a center based off of how proficient he is in his own zone, how much time he spends there stealing the puck off guys to then just find out he’s actually a winger surprised a few people. That’s how good of a game he [has].

He was 5’8 last year. He’s 6’1. He’s a lot faster than he was a year ago. He’s a lot stronger than he was a year ago. NHL Central Scouting had him as like a fourth- or fifth-round pick at the start of the year. Now they have him as a a potential top-10 prospect.

To think the Florida Panthers could get a guy that’d be that impactful. And by the time someone like Brad Marchand slows down, all of a sudden you throw Wyatt Cullen in there. He’s not a similar player. He’s not an aggressive guy out there just pissing everybody off. But man, that’s going to make them very scary for a long period of time.

I can’t believe the Florida Panthers are actually picking in the top 10 here. That’s just wild given where they were the last [two years].

You can watch the full segment here…