Committed to the University of Minnesota 2027
Former NHLER Matt Cullen’s son (and Ray’s nephew) is a player teams looking for scoring will be focusing in on from slot 15 through the start of the second round. From the Moorhead Minnesota three geneartion dynasty of NHL winners, he was a runt who was never very physically mature, so he looked less at finishing and more on seeing where the ice opened up for him. He dealt with adversity prior to the season when he tore his hip flexor off the bone, a by-product of growing pains. This spurt on almost six inches in body growth changed his ability to play, as he now he had more body to hold off opponents. He then started concentrating on developing that shot he hadn’tbeen able to put power behind. He had worked dilligently on developing a decent defensive game and since he felt his strengths were generating and not scoring, he used his nimble boots to change speeds, loop in and out of openings and started reading opposition movements and hanging onto his possessions for long periods, causing disruptions that became his oipportunities. He has a variety of passes, and his speed and quick wrists make him a dynamic handler ready to give and go. He quickly separates himself as offensive probelm to defenses, who use many opportunities to get physical and try slowing him with wall maulings, trying to get him absorb contact and slow his disection of the attack zone. He has quick hands on his shots, his fakes, and gets defnders to be manipulated, and is a master at it. He was will continue to evolve through his growth spurt and fill in and we will see that his skating explodes and the physicality becomes a strength, and he will be riding his edges and will add explosion…as a skater and a scorer. as well as a play-maker. He’s clearly already the most dynamic the most dynamic playmaker in the United States Developmental program. He is committed to the University of Minnesota for 2027.
–Bill Placzek
