Cullen Making Strong Showing

With one cut left, Matt Cullen is still with the Mighty Ducks.

“I’ve tried not to worry about where I might fit,” said Cullen, who plays center and left wing. “Obviously, I’m happy to still be here.”

On one hand, he should be. Cullen, 20, had played only four professional games before camp. Yet, while Espen Knutsen--the flashy center from Norway--has been the team’s top newcomer, Cullen has been a close second.

Certainly Coach Pierre Page and General Manager Jack Ferreira are impressed.

“We’ve talked about speed, grit and drive,” Page said. “When you find all three in one guy, you have to reward it.”

Cullen played two seasons at St. Cloud State and was a second-round draft pick in 1996. He signed in April and played four games for the Baltimore Bandits in the American Hockey League, finishing with two goals and three assists.

“Playing for Baltimore definitely got me ready for this camp,” Cullen said. “I learned what was going to be expected of me.”

Learned it well, apparently. In his first game, Cullen fired a pass from just inside the blue line to Tomas Sandstrom for a goal--a pass that Ferreira raved about upstairs. A night later, Cullen scored his first goal.

“It’s a matter of getting him in the right place with the right people,” Page said.

The right people this week are Teemu Selanne and Steve Rucchin, two-thirds of the Ducks’ top-line.

“He’s only 20?” Selanne said. “I didn’t know that. He plays like he’s much older.”

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Page said he probably will make final cuts after Saturday’s game against the Kings. That will be followed by Sunday’s waiver draft. Ferreira and Page met Tuesday to discuss possible draft scenarios.