University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Hockey
Matt Cullen
- Title:
- Director of Player Development
Three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen joined the coaching staff for the Minnesota men's hockey team in April of 2026, taking on the role of Director of Player Development.
Cullen had a 21-year NHL career with eight different organizations and registered 731 points (266 goals, 465 assists) in 1,516 NHL games, as well as 58 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 132 playoff games. He is one of three American-born players to skate in at least 1,500 NHL games, still ranking 23rd all-time in career games played, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
The Virginia, Minn., native put together his best professional campaign in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes where he posted a career-high 25 goals. He went on to score 18 points in the playoffs to help the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, including two assists in a Game 7 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in the Final.
In his first year on the Pittsburgh roster in 2015-16, Cullen scored 32 points in 82 games, won 55.7 percent of faceoffs, and scored three shorthanded goals before tallying six points in 24 playoff games. Two of his postseason goals were game winners that helped Pittsburgh claim the Stanley Cup. The next season, he finished with 31 points in 72 games and added nine points in the playoffs as the Penguins repeated as world champions.
Growing up in Moorhead, Minn., he was a two-sport athlete for the Spuds and set school records in both baseball and hockey during his senior year. On the ice, Cullen played for his father, Terry, and was named the Associated Press High School Player of the Year in 1995 after recording 89 points (47 goals, 42 assists) in 28 games. He also guided Moorhead to three appearances at the MSHSL state tournament.
He carried that success over to college hockey where he totaled 86 points behind 27 goals and 59 assists across 75 appearances during a two-year stint at St. Cloud State from 1995-97. He was inducted into the SCSU Hall of Fame in 2023 and is one of two players in program history to have his number retired by the Huskies. Cullen was named to the WHCA All-Rookie Team for his 41-point effort as a freshman before being drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the second round, 35th overall, of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He returned to SCSU for his sophomore season and tallied 45 points on his way to All-WCHA Second Team honors in 1996-97. He signed an entry-level contract following his second year in St. Cloud and made his NHL debut on Oct. 28, 1997.
Cullen also played on four World Championship teams with USA Hockey, was a 2004 bronze medalist with the U.S. national team, and represented his country at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Since retiring from the NHL at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, he has remained active in the hockey community and served as a player development coach for the Penguins for the past seven seasons. Cullen returned to his alma mater, Moorhead High School, to become an assistant coach of the boys' hockey team in 2025 and went on to win an MSHSL Class AA state championship in his first season as coach.
In 2003, he founded the "Cullen Children's Foundation", also known as "Cully's Kids", after his brother Mark underwent surgery to remove a cancerous mole. The foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children's healthcare needs with an emphasis on cancer.
Cullen and his wife, Bridget, have three sons, Brooks, Wyatt, and Joey.
Cullen had a 21-year NHL career with eight different organizations and registered 731 points (266 goals, 465 assists) in 1,516 NHL games, as well as 58 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 132 playoff games. He is one of three American-born players to skate in at least 1,500 NHL games, still ranking 23rd all-time in career games played, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
The Virginia, Minn., native put together his best professional campaign in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes where he posted a career-high 25 goals. He went on to score 18 points in the playoffs to help the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, including two assists in a Game 7 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in the Final.
In his first year on the Pittsburgh roster in 2015-16, Cullen scored 32 points in 82 games, won 55.7 percent of faceoffs, and scored three shorthanded goals before tallying six points in 24 playoff games. Two of his postseason goals were game winners that helped Pittsburgh claim the Stanley Cup. The next season, he finished with 31 points in 72 games and added nine points in the playoffs as the Penguins repeated as world champions.
Growing up in Moorhead, Minn., he was a two-sport athlete for the Spuds and set school records in both baseball and hockey during his senior year. On the ice, Cullen played for his father, Terry, and was named the Associated Press High School Player of the Year in 1995 after recording 89 points (47 goals, 42 assists) in 28 games. He also guided Moorhead to three appearances at the MSHSL state tournament.
He carried that success over to college hockey where he totaled 86 points behind 27 goals and 59 assists across 75 appearances during a two-year stint at St. Cloud State from 1995-97. He was inducted into the SCSU Hall of Fame in 2023 and is one of two players in program history to have his number retired by the Huskies. Cullen was named to the WHCA All-Rookie Team for his 41-point effort as a freshman before being drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the second round, 35th overall, of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He returned to SCSU for his sophomore season and tallied 45 points on his way to All-WCHA Second Team honors in 1996-97. He signed an entry-level contract following his second year in St. Cloud and made his NHL debut on Oct. 28, 1997.
Cullen also played on four World Championship teams with USA Hockey, was a 2004 bronze medalist with the U.S. national team, and represented his country at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Since retiring from the NHL at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, he has remained active in the hockey community and served as a player development coach for the Penguins for the past seven seasons. Cullen returned to his alma mater, Moorhead High School, to become an assistant coach of the boys' hockey team in 2025 and went on to win an MSHSL Class AA state championship in his first season as coach.
In 2003, he founded the "Cullen Children's Foundation", also known as "Cully's Kids", after his brother Mark underwent surgery to remove a cancerous mole. The foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children's healthcare needs with an emphasis on cancer.
Cullen and his wife, Bridget, have three sons, Brooks, Wyatt, and Joey.
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