Jayden Kurtz rising as USHL, NHL prospect after strong high school season

Jayden Kurtz is the kind of prospect USHL fans need to watch now because his path links every level the league sells best: Minnesota high school hockey, a real USHL sample, and legitimate NHL Draft momentum. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-shot defenseman has already shown he can score, adapt, and keep climbing, even while his main home remains Rogers High School and his college future is set with Wisconsin.

Why Kurtz is on NHL radars

Kurtz’s profile checks the boxes scouts still chase on the blue line. He is big, right-handed, committed to the University of Wisconsin for 2027-28, and already producing offense in volume at the scholastic level, where he put up 38 points in 26 games for Rogers, including 13 goals and 25 assists. He also finished as a finalist for Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey award, which puts him among the most visible high school players in the state.

That production matters, but the larger signal is where he sits in the draft conversation. NHL Central Scouting ranked Kurtz No. 61 on its final North American skaters list, making him the highest-rated scholastic player on the board and placing him in second- or third-round range. For a defenseman who has only been playing full-time on the back end for three years, that is the kind of rise that forces teams to recheck the video and revisit the projection.

What the Chicago Steel stint showed

The USHL connection is what makes Kurtz more than a high school story. Chicago selected him in Phase II, and his four-game November stint gave him a first look at the league’s pace, speed and strength before he returned to Rogers. He later logged 16 USHL games for the Steel, producing three points and taking 30 shots on goal, which is a useful early indicator because it shows both willingness and confidence from the blue line.

That usage matters as much as the totals. A defenseman with Kurtz’s size can be easy to project as a stay-at-home piece, but the shot volume and scoring history suggest a player who can do more if the role expands. When he comes back to Chicago for 2026-27, the key question will be whether the Steel put him in situations that force him to defend faster, move pucks quicker, and generate offense against older, stronger competition.

What scouts mean by “just scratching the surface”

Kurtz’s own line about his game explains why his stock keeps moving. He says he is “just scratching the surface,” and the reason is simple: he has been a full-time defenseman for only three years. That is the developmental hinge point for scouts. Players who convert late often take longer to read plays naturally, but they can also climb faster once the position-specific details lock in.

That is where Pat Cullen and Dave Brown come into the picture. Cullen’s view is that Kurtz is not the finished product, but already has the kind of tools that teams want to bet on. Brown has seen the transition inside the Steel environment, where every shift forces a prospect to process faster and handle more contact. In Kurtz’s case, “just scratching the surface” is not a throwaway line. It points to the exact traits teams evaluate hardest on defense: how well a large frame holds up under pressure, how cleanly he exits the zone, and whether his decision-making keeps pace as the competition rises.

Why USHL fans should care about the next step

Kurtz matters to the USHL conversation because he is the league in miniature right now: a scholastic standout who also carries NHL Draft relevance and a future college commitment. That blend is the kind of cross-market profile that keeps the Steel relevant in both local and national discussions, especially when the next step is so visible. He already moved from a midterm No. 77 ranking among North American skaters to No. 61 on the final list, which is the sort of spring surge teams remember.

The timing only sharpens the spotlight. The 2026 NHL Scouting Combine ran June 1-6 in Buffalo, and the NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26-27 at KeyBank Center. With teams narrowing their boards in real time, Kurtz’s final numbers, his USHL sample, and his high school production are all feeding into the same evaluation: whether he is a steady mid-round defender or one of the players who keeps rising after the first wave of names.

The broader USHL pipeline behind the story

Kurtz is also part of a larger USHL footprint in this draft class. The league said 68 players with USHL ties were included in Central Scouting’s final North American rankings ahead of the 2026 draft, a reminder that the league remains one of the clearest bridges to NHL evaluation. At the combine, 12 current USHL players and four alumni were invited, which shows how often the league sits directly in front of pro decision-makers during the final stretch.

That is why Kurtz’s path resonates beyond one player. The USHL is not just a stop for late bloomers or college-bound skaters, it is a showcase for prospects who can still be shaped. Kurtz fits that model cleanly: a Minnesota high school defenseman with a pro-sized frame, a Wisconsin commitment, a real Steel sample, and room to grow into more demanding minutes.

What comes next in Chicago

Kurtz’s return to the Steel for 2026-27 arrives as the franchise enters a new chapter of its own. Chicago is scheduled to move to a downtown home after years at Fox Valley Ice Arena, where it has played since 2015. That move gives his next USHL season added weight, because it will unfold in a new setting with fresh attention on a player whose stock is already moving.

For USHL fans, that is the appeal of Kurtz right now. He is not just an early draft name to file away. He is a player whose size, shot, and recent climb through Rogers, Chicago, and Central Scouting point toward a much bigger test ahead, and the next season in the Steel sweater could determine whether that test turns him into a true 2026 draft riser.