USHL Stock Watch: Wyatt Cullen driving the NTDP’s offence
It’s a new year, and the action has kept on an exciting pace in the USHL, as the playoff race heats up and teams lower in the standings prepare for a final surge to enter the conversation.
From a 16-year-old taking the reins of the NTDP U17s and racking up points against tough opposition to a pair of undersized puck-moving defencemen exploding on the scoresheet, the month of January saw its fair share of starlets breaking out.
Stock Rising 📈
Wyatt Cullen, LW, NTDP U18 (2026 NHL Draft)
Before Wyatt Cullen returned from injury in November, the U18 NTDP struggled mightily to drive consistent offence, create off the boards against heavier competition, and force defenders on their heels with speed off the rush. The way the team generates offence shifted as soon as he was reintegrated into the fold.
Fast-forward to January, and Cullen has gotten warmed up and came to play in three key wins in the back half of the month to help the outlook in the standings. Unlike other dynamic undersized wingers, Cullen is highly engaged, constantly getting involved. From winning a high rate of retrievals deep in offensive territory to keeping a low centre of gravity and his feet moving, Cullen is a tough opponent in all three zones when he’s on his game.
His biggest strengths are on the offensive side of the puck, however. Cullen is armed with a precise and heavy release capable of beating college netminders from medium range, lightning-quick hands and feet to weave past defenders gracefully, and the vision to unpick defences – he’s found a particular affinity for whipping precise passes into the slot from the boards.
There’s a reason he ended up as our highest-ranked NTDP player on our most recent 2026 NHL Draft ranking, 12 slots ahead of his next-closest teammate. With top-15 skill, a relentless motor, high-end skating, on-puck versatility, a recent growth spurt, and nearly eligible for next year’s draft, the arguments in favour of Cullen’s trajectory and odds keep on accumulating.
Carter Meyer, C, NTDP U17 (2027 NHL Draft)
What a month it was for young Carter Meyer, as the 16-year-old tallied seven goals and six assists in ten games. While the centre hasn’t yet filled out his frame, he stands out among his peers in his willingness to drive the middle, cut through skates and checks, and his ability to bounce off of contact. He scored plenty of his goals from close range.
A two-goal, three-point night in a win against Sioux City capped off a successful month, and in it, Meyer showcased his speed off the rush on his second goal, beating the defenders wide before cutting hard back across the blue paint. With strong scanning, awareness, and defensive details, he has many of the elements we look for in potential top-15 selections down the middle.
Arguably the MVP between both the U17 and U18 teams in the last 30 days, Meyer is wasting little time setting himself up as one of the premier talents in a stronger NTDP draft class next season. He will likely be fighting for the crown with Sammy Nelson, who has been a top-six mainstay with the older group this entire campaign.
Bode Laylin, RD, Tri-City Storm (2026 NHL Draft)
While he caught some eyes among our scouting staff at the World Junior A Championships in the Fall, Bode Laylin took until the new year to truly break out as a high-end USHL blueliner. His game flows through his agility and fluidity as a skater, and he’s warmed up to executing quick give-and-gos to beat a layer of pressure up the ice.
Laylin’s posture in possession has gained significant deceptive qualities since September; he hides his intentions well, keeps his options open while holding the puck in his hip pocket, and freezes defenders with his eyes more frequently. Though he will need to progress in his composure and decision-making under physical pressure to translate his style of play to college and eventually the pro ranks, Laylin’s gifts in transition have become increasingly dominant this season.
NHL teams will always hold some doubts around investing assets in young undersized defencemen, but Laylin’s tools and progression curve could earn him a late-round swing on third-pairing puck-moving upside. Showing off an effective game in the playoff environment could go a long way in convincing scouts to take a chance on him.
Shayne Gould, LD, Sioux City Musketeers (2026 NHL Draft)
While Laylin clocks in on the shorter side, Shayne Gould is among the smallest and lightest blueliners in the whole USHL, but his performances have been catching real steam. In the best way possible, the five-foot-nine, 146-pound defender is one of the most unhinged players in the league, constantly seeking to create something out of nothing through frequent offensive activations and an aggressive brand of positional hockey.
In January, Gould ran entire offensive zone shifts as the quarterback and was indispensable on the man advantage. His anticipation, slipperiness in tight, and vision have blended for some beautiful sequences, cutting through defences like a hot knife through butter.
He’s already one of the most entertaining players in American junior hockey, and though his frame hurts his chances at earning a selection, there are few more intuitive or dynamic puck-movers in the USHL this season.
Stock Steady ↔️
Youngstown Phantoms
If ever there was a steady grade to be taken more as a positive than a negative, it’s this one. Youngstown has remained atop the league through January, gaining separation from the pack despite some notable defeats. Armed with one of the circuit's most disciplined defensive structures and overwhelming forechecking, the Phantoms have managed to win the pace battles on most nights this season, built upon the work of hard-working identity players with a nose for the net like Buffalo Sabres selection Ryan Rucinski and 2026-eligible Evan Jardine.
In a league where details, pace, and middle-driven offence are king, Youngstown continues to display that their consistent ability to execute on the basics is unmatched.
Coming into the season, it seemed like Jack Hextall would enter the 2026 draft as the team’s top prospect. Though the clever playmaker has been heating up some more in the past weeks, it’s netminder Tobias Trejbal who is stealing the headlines as not only the likely first Phantom off the board at the draft but their most impactful player, bar none.
His blend of size, athleticism, and impressive calmness and composure in the crease jump out at me every time I tune in for a game, and with some more clarity in his reads, Trejbal could end up as the top netminder in the draft class and push for a top-40 selection. Youngstown are well positioned to support his chances with a long playoff run.
The Phantoms are doing really well, so long as they continue to focus on beating opponents on pace and structure, it’s going to be difficult to unseat them on the current USHL throne, but the season’s still far from over.
Stock Falling 📉
Waterloo Black Hawks
Even with Muskegon’s loss of star centre and reigning playoff MVP Tynan Lawrence, last year’s Clark Cup finalists have trended in opposite directions. The Lumberjacks remain among the most potent forces in the league, while Waterloo furthered its nosedive with a 2-8-1 month of January and is riding a current seven-game winless streak, hot on the heels of the NTDP and Omaha for the basement of the standings.
Though the recent stretch of games has seen little of any silver linings, the results have been worse than the performances. Hamstrung at forward talent, particularly since losing Chase Jette to injury in November, the Black Hawks have been far less prolific at netting pucks this season than last.
Though lacking some of the skill, speed, and structure that made last year’s group special enough to come within a hair of championship glory, Waterloo has still been playing with an admirable amount of heart in many of these losing efforts, battling until the final whistle. That said, as the losses keep piling up and the gap with last place tightens, fans are going to start demanding goals and wins with less and less patience.