Nashville, Tenn. (June 27, 2026) – The Nashville Predators made eight selections in the 2026 NHL Draft – hosted at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York – taking four forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.
In Friday’s first round, Nashville selected forward Wyatt Cullen with the 10th overall pick. Cullen, 17 (9/8/08), was the No. 13-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 176-pound winger recorded 45 points (16g-29a) in 40 games with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in 2025-26, finishing tied for fourth on the U-18 squad in assists and sixth in points. The previous campaign, Cullen shared the lead on the NTDP’s U-17 team in assists with 25 en route to posting 31 points (6g-25a) in 55 appearances. He is committed to play collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota.
The Moorhead, Minnesota, native has represented the United States at the international stage multiple times, most recently at the 2026 U-18 World Championship, where he was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team after leading the Americans in points with nine (3g-6a). Cullen’s father, Matt Cullen, is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2006, 2016 and 2017) who played two seasons for the Predators from 2013-15.
“In his case, we feel there’s an extremely high ceiling with him, and that’s always what we’re trying to target,” Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty said. “[He is] certainly an exciting player to add to the organization. He’s a guy who we talked a lot about and anticipated that he could be there [at No. 10 overall]. Going into [Friday], we knew we’d be pleased if he was the guy we ended up with.”
The Predators then moved up to No. 31 overall to select defenseman Tommy Bleyl, trading the No. 42 overall (traded to Calgary; Calgary selected Tobias Trejbal) and No. 57 overall (traded to Montreal; Montreal selected Timofei Runtso) picks in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Carolina Hurricanes in return.
Bleyl, 18 (12/1/07), was named the CHL’s Rookie of the Year after establishing a QMJHL record for points by a first-year defenseman with 81 (13g-68a) in 63 games during the 2025-26 season for the Moncton Wildcats; his 68 assists were the highest in a season by a rookie CHL blueliner in the 21st century. The 6-foot, 165-pound defenseman was additionally named the QMJHL’s Defenseman of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bleyl helped lead Moncton to the league’s championship series, pacing the QMJHL in assists (22) and finishing third in points (28) in the postseason. He is committed to play collegiate hockey at Michigan State University beginning in 2027-28. A native of Schenectady, New York, Bleyl skated for the United States at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“He’s another guy who grew a bit – not quite like Cullen – as the year went on,” Kealty said. “The foundation that he has with his skating – it’s the agility and the escape ability, probably even more so than the flat speed. He’s got great edges. In the highlights you see, it’s him carrying the puck up the ice and dodging checkers. He’s never going to be the biggest guy, but that being said, defensively he’s very sound as well with his positioning and his stick. He’s a talented but efficient player.”
With their first pick on Saturday, the Predators selected goaltender Dmitri Borichev in the third round (70th overall). Borichev, 18 (6/19/08), spent the 2025-26 season with Loko-76 Yaroslavl of the Russian junior league, going 12-8-3 with a 2.25 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and three shutouts. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound native of Vologda, Russia, was NHL Central Scouting’s No. 1-ranked international goaltender ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
“He has good size, but what I like about him more is that he is mobile, quick and strong,” Predators European Scout Denis Tolpeko said. “He is really quick post-to-post, can fight through traffic and play with his stick, but his biggest strength is his mentality.”
Nashville used the first of its two fourth-round picks on defenseman Jakub Floris at No. 106 overall. Floris, 18 (2/19/08), played the majority of the 2025-26 campaign with Lukko of the Finnish junior league, recording 10 goals – the most among league blueliners – and 18 points in 38 games; he also averaged a point per game with Lukko’s U-18 side, notching nine points (3g-6a) in nine appearances. The Bratislava, Slovakia, native represented his country at the 2026 U-18 World Championship, earning a silver medal.
“What we like about him is his size at 6-foot-3 and that he is a very good skating defenseman,” Predators European Scout Martin Bakula said. “I see him as a solid, responsible, two-way defenseman who sees the ice very well at both ends. He played in Finland where he was getting better in every game that we saw him in.”
At No. 118 overall (fourth round), the Predators drafted forward Justin Graf out of the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Graf, 18 (7/10/07), was third on Cedar Rapids in assists (32), tied for third in points (55) and fourth in goals (23) during the 2025-26 season. He is committed to play collegiate hockey at Harvard University. His brother, Collin Graf, is a forward on the San Jose Sharks.
“His hockey IQ is what stands out – he’s a kid who can make plays and sees the ice,” Predators North American Amateur Scout Greg Drechsel said. “He has the ability to be a difference-maker. His brother, Collin, went to development camp here in 2023, and you see a lot of similarities in their games. Both are probably considered late bloomers, but they’re gamers. Justin is offensively creative and can find a way to impact the game, so we’re excited to have him.”
Nashville’s fifth-round selection (138th overall) was forward Philip Hemmyr from IF Björklöven of Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan. Hemmyr, 19 (6/17/07), tallied 12 points (6g-6a) in 36 games in Sweden’s second-highest professional league in 2025-26, helping his club win the championship and earn promotion to the SHL; he additionally recorded 44 points (19g-25a) in 27 appearances for IF Björklöven’s junior team. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound forward is a native of Umeå, Sweden.
“He has speed and versatility – he is able to play both center and on the wing,” Predators European Scout Lucas Bergman said. “I think he’s one of those players who is going to be able to play up in your lineup with skilled players and can also be a tenacious guy who can play on the third or fourth line if he has to.”
Nashville then made trades involved its two other fifth-round picks. In the first transaction, the Predators acquired forward Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Massimo Rizzo and the No. 148 overall pick (traded to Seattle; Seattle selected Luken Huff). Nashville additionally traded the No. 160 overall selection (Matvei Nikonovich) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
With the 179th overall selection in the sixth round, the Predators selected Benjamin Cossette Ayotte, a defenseman from Val-d’Or of the QMJHL. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right-shot blueliner completed his second full QMJHL season with the Foreurs in 2025-26, setting career highs in assists (34) and points (38) in 62 games while serving as an alternate captain. Cossette Ayotte was named to the QMJHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2024-25 following a 24-point (4g-20a), +24 rating campaign.
“I like the fact that he plays on both sides of the ice,” Predators North American Amateur Scout J-P Glaude said. “He’s a two-way, assertive defenseman who played big minutes this past year. He plays in every situation – power play, penalty kill and 5-on-5. He has a strong mindset and work ethic and is dedicated to the game.”
The Predators used their final pick of the 2026 NHL Draft on forward Charlie Puglisi at No. 202 overall (seventh round). Puglisi, 18 (4/16/08), split the 2025-26 season between the Winchendon School in Massachusetts, where he had 76 points (26g-50a) in 35 games, and Islanders Hockey Club Prep East (U-18) of the EHF.
“He's an up-and-coming kid who is going to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers next year and then going on to college at Cornell,” Predators Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan said. “He’s really fast, drives the net and can play center and wing. We like his motor and his skills.”
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