Minnesota leads all states with 12 drafted by NHL

Minnesota led all U.S. states with 12 players selected in the NHL Draft held in Buffalo, four more than second-place Michigan's eight picks. A total of 53 American players were chosen across seven rounds and 224 picks (with the 63rd pick forfeited by the Vegas Knights). Moorhead native Wyatt Cullen was the top Minnesotan, selected 10th overall by the Nashville Predators — the highest pick for a Minnesota player since Casey Mittelstadt went 8th overall to Buffalo in 2017.