{"id":556633,"date":"2026-01-31T16:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/556633\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T16:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:15:10","slug":"hurlbert-cullen-ruck-hemming-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/556633\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurlbert, Cullen, Ruck, Hemming \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to PHR\u2019s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the\u00a0MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name<\/a>, we\u2019re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We\u2019ll look at drafted prospects who are rising, others who are struggling, and prospects for the upcoming draft who are notable.<\/p>\n

Five Big Hype Prospects<\/p>\n

J.P. Hurlbert, C\/RW, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
<\/strong>47 GP, 31 G \u2013 42 A \u2013 73 TP, 33 PIM, +15<\/p>\n

The 2026 class has its own version of a game-breaking forward dominating CHL scoring on the back of impressive skill. This year, it\u2019s Texas-born J.P. Hurlbert<\/strong><\/a>, who landed with the WHL\u2019s Kamloops Blazers after buying out of his contract with the U.S. National Team Development Program. That decision has proven incredibly fruitful in the season since, with Hurlbert now tied for the scoring lead among all CHL leagues. He has looked explosive all season long, with a next-level ability to operate the puck at full speed. That lets Hurlbert blaze by and through opponents en route to the net. His drives are capped off with strong finishing and playmaking abilities, focused on getting the puck into the low-slot. Hurlbert doesn\u2019t shine as a physical player, but is rumored to be climbing NHL boards thanks to just how jaw-dropping his do-it-all offense can be. The NHL is currently watching Benjamin Kindel<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 a skill winger who faced an uphill battle physically \u2013 carve out his spot in the Penguins top-nine before his 20th birthday. Hurlbert will hope to be the next in line and could earn a top 20, or even top 15, selection.<\/p>\n

Wyatt Cullen, LW\/C, U.S. National Team Development Program (USA U18)<\/strong>
18 GP, 3 G \u2013 12 A \u2013 15 TP, 6 PIM, -4<\/p>\n

The middle child of 21-year NHL veteran Matt Cullen<\/a><\/strong> is next up for the NHL Draft. Wyatt Cullen<\/strong><\/a> is pulling together a breakout season after sitting out parts of October and December due to an undisclosed injury. He has quickly made up for lost time, though, including pulling together a standout performance at this year\u2019s CHL\/NTDP Prospects Challenge. Cullen scored three points in three games in the cross-league matchup, a feat only matched by fellow 2026 prospect Mathis Preston<\/strong><\/a> and top 2027 prospect Sammy Nelson<\/strong><\/a>. That strong scoring has carried over to Cullen\u2019s USHL action with the NTDP. He has four points in five USHL games \u2013 a mark that underscores just how central to the NTDP offense Cullen has been. He has been one of only a few NTDP forwards to truly flash this year, showing off an impressive ability to beat opponents head-on and find space through the neutral zone. Cullen is cool, calm,a nd collected with the onfidence needed to make plays tight around the net. He has brought a much-needed wave of skilled offense to the NTDP and ranks second on the club in points-per-game (0.81). With his mix of poise, size, and skill, Cullen could have a chance to beat out his dad\u2019s draft selection \u2013 35th overall in 1996.<\/p>\n

Liam and Markus Ruck, RW and C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)<\/strong>
Liam: 47 GP, 28 G \u2013 38 A \u2013 66 TP, 26 PIM, +24
Markus: 47 GP, 12 G \u2013 53 A \u2013 65 TP, 18 PIM, +21<\/p>\n

The highest-scoring offense in the CHL is led in scoring by a pair of identical twins \u2013 Liam Ruck<\/strong><\/a> and Markus Ruck<\/strong><\/a>. The duo play an immensely complementary game, with Liam\u2019s sniper shot and drive to the net boosted by Markus\u2019 nifty passing and sharp, two-way vision. They served as the foundation of Medicine Hat\u2019s offense to start the season, then found another gear when Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha returned from injury and lined up between the twins. That line has proven nearly unstoppable since Basha\u2019s return, in total combining for 19 goals over just the last 11 games. Medicine Hat has rooted their offense in the top line, which \u2013 while boosted by Basha \u2013 still leans heavily on the individual skill, and next-level chemistry, between the Ruck brothers. The two are a phenomenon. With their heap of offense, many fans are wondering just how high they could go in the draft \u2013 or if they\u2019ll get drafted to the same club and get to build on two great years at Medicine Hat.<\/p>\n

Oscar Hemming, LW\/RW, Boston College (Hockey East, NCAA)<\/strong>
7 GP, 0 G \u2013 4 A \u2013 4 TP, 8 PIM, -1<\/p>\n

One of many top Finns in the 2026 draft class didn\u2019t get his start until the midway point of the year. Oscar Hemming<\/strong><\/a> went through a true saga<\/a> as he attempted to move from the pro pipeline in Finland to North American juniors. His IIHF eligibilty was even pulled into question, ultimately forcing Hemming to forgo plans for an OHL move in favor of joining the NCAA\u2019s Boston College. He became college hockey\u2019s youngest player when he joined the league. Despite facing the challenge of age and international move, Hemming hasn\u2019t looked one bit out of place in his first taste of the NCAA\u2019s toughest conference. Part of that is thanks to the winger\u2019s 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, which makes him hard to miss anytime he\u2019s on the ice.<\/p>\n

More than that, Hemming has continued flaunting the strong stickhandling and heads-up playmaking that wowed scouts at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He is an intuitive playmaker who attacks the slot with confidence and aggression. With his build, Hemming is hard to knock off hte puck or force out of the slot. He has taken on many of the traits that made his older brother, Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming, worthy of a first-round selection. For Oscar, the chance to hone those talents as a young player in a tough league could be enough to push him high up draft boards. With a pro frame to boot, Hemming could be a surprise addition to the top 15, or maybe the top 10, come draft day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to PHR\u2019s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the\u00a0MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we\u2019re taking…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":556634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[42],"tags":[243542,243538,243539,243540,1317,293,214952,10440,62,67,132,68,44044,243541],"class_list":["post-556633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-big-hype-prospects","tag-j-p-hurlbert","tag-liam-ruck","tag-markus-ruck","tag-ncaa","tag-nhl","tag-oscar-hemming","tag-prospects","tag-sports","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-whl","tag-wyatt-cullen"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115990608128052142","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}