Following an overview of the Montreal Canadiens' prospect pool, it's time to take a look at the Nashville Predators.
The Predators have been trying to compete for a playoff spot, but they’ve fallen into a very strong and deep prospect pool. For all of the flak that the Preds front office has taken over the last few years because of their signings and trades in an attempt to win now, they’ve also done a very good job of building up a stockpile of draft picks and adding plenty of young talent to their prospect pool.
Nashville has focused on adding a variety of skill sets to its pipeline, from high-end skills to powerful physicality and everything in between. Development is going to be key for them as they look to bring these players into the NHL lineup over the next couple of years.
In our annual prospect pool overview series, Tony Ferrari digs into each team’s top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of the pipeline, a quick outline of their latest draft class, where each team's positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance!
INITIAL OVERVIEW OF TOP PROSPECTS
While the Predators don’t have an elite-level star in their prospect pool, they have some really solid prospects. Their top prospect is 2025 first-rounder Brady Martin. A power forward who loves to engage physically, Martin is a unique player who can bring the boom and put up some points.
He has a heavy shot and good hands around the net. His playmaking took a step this year as well. Martin started this past season in Nashville, playing three games before being sent back to junior, where he had a good but not great season on one of the OHL’s better teams.
Where he ends up next season is going to be something to watch as we approach 2026-27.
Teddy Stiga took a bit of a step back statistically this past season, but when watching him play, he was the same hyper-energetic, center-driven player he’s always been. Stiga is the ultimate complementary player, looking to elevate the skills of his linemates. As Boston College took a bit of a step back this past year, so did his numbers.
Stiga is the kind of player that you put with your stars, and he makes them better by making their life easier.
Playing in the KHL, Yegor Surin looked excellent this past year against men and proved that he’s not simply a physical presence. Surin put up 37 points in 57 games, leaning into his physicality to enhance his offensive game. He hunts down pucks in the corner or gets in on a defender on the forecheck, retrieves the puck and fires it to the slot.
The soon-to-be 20-year-old Russian plays a heavy game and should fit right in with what the Preds are trying to build when he comes over.
There might not be a player outside of the NHL with a more entertaining highlight reel than the uber-skiller Ryker Lee. He’s the closest thing hockey has to an old And-1 mixtape, with his unreal hands, slick moves, and creativity with the puck. With 30 points in 35 games as a freshman at Michigan State, Lee showed that his skill isn’t all flash, as there’s substance to his game as well.
His upside is high, and with another season in college, he should continue to round out his game.
Joakim Kemell has been around for a few years now, and he’s been a solid AHLer, but he hasn’t seen much success at the NHL level. He’s a very good shooter, and he can bring a physical edge. Kemell hasn’t been given an extended run at the NHL level, but if he does, he could be a really solid finisher and power-play presence.
Jumping into his first season of pro hockey, Joey Willis had a solid year. It was an excellent chance for him to see where he is in relation to the NHL level. Willis is a smart player who isn’t a physical presence, but he picks his opponents apart tactically.
Willis could be a really solid complementary player, but he needs to round out and play a more consistent defensive game because he may not have the skill to play in the top six.
It was a very solid rookie year in the AHL for Tanner Molendyk. The smooth-skating defenseman looked composed at the pro level for the first time, and he played a sound two-way game. His puck-moving was built off of his skating ability and willingness to defer to teammates when pressure converged on him.
Molendyk could be a candidate to play NHL games this coming season.
The captain of the Memorial Cup champion Kitchener Rangers is jumping to the NCAA next season. Cameron Reid was the backbone of Kitchener’s run this past year, leveraging his skating and intelligence at both ends of the ice. Reid should be a really nice addition to the Michigan Wolverines lineup this year and take big steps toward playing pro hockey.
The 19-year-old is going to need a year or two in college before jumping to the pros.
One of his teammates at Michigan will be Jack Ivankovic, the netminder who helped lead the Wolverines to a Big-10 Championship as a freshman in 2025-26. Slated to be the starter for Canada at the World Junior Championship, Ivankovic could be in line for a truly fantastic campaign. Ivankovic has always been one of the best goalies at every level he’s played at, and that should continue next year in the NCAA.
U-23 PLAYERS LIKELY TO PLAY IN THE NHL THIS SEASON
Brady Martin (C/W), Matthew Wood (C/W)
2026 NHL DRAFT CLASS
Round 1, 10th overall - Wyatt Cullen, LW, U.S. National Development Team (USHL)
Round 1, 31st overall - Tommy Bleyl, D, Moncton (QMJHL)
Round 3, 70th overall - Dmitri Borichev, G, Yaroslavl Jr. (Rus.)
Round 4, 106th overall - Jakub Floris, D, Lukko Jr. (Fin.)
Round 4, 118th overall - Justin Graf, LW, Cedar Rapids (USHL)
Round 5, 138th overall - Philip Hemmyr, C, Bjorkloven (Swe.)
Round 6, 179th overall - Benjamin Cossette Ayotte, D, Val-d'Or (QMJHL)
Round 7, 202nd overall - Charlie Puglisi, C, Winchendon (USHS)
Nashville’s draft added many talents to their pipeline, especially at the top end of their draft. Kicking things off with Wyatt Cullen, the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program's most impactful play driver. His speed and hands make him a nightmare for defenders, constantly forcing them to scramble to stay in front of him.
He’s a playmaker who fires passes through opponents' feet and onto the tape of his linemates. Cullen is a very fun player, and Preds fans will love his game.
Tommy Bleyl is a really impressive skater who can burst up the ice and create on the rush. Bleyl was one of the fastest rising prospects in the second half of the year as he started to really impress in the QMJHL. He isn’t the biggest or most stout defensive player, but he has the tools to defend with his feet and cut play off before it gets dangerous.
Nashville also added one of the draft’s best goalie prospects, Dmitri Borichev. He’s an elite skating goalie who uses his edges effectively when moving laterally. His technique is sound, and he seals the ice extremely well.
The Russian netminder is 6-foot-2, so he isn’t the biggest, but he moves so well in the crease that you’d think he’s bigger than he is.
Jakub Floris is an interesting player. The Slovakian defenseman played in Finland this past year, and he often showed some impressive passing throughout the season. His defensive game was hit and miss.
When Floris was able to get in and battle, he had the size and strength to win pucks back. He just wasn’t nearly consistent enough. This was an interesting bet on tools.
The Preds took Justin Graf, a 19-year-old USHLer who was just over a point per game. He lacks an elite tool or standout trait, but he did an excellent job of finding ways to consistently get on the scoresheet and impact the game. Graf is the younger brother of San Jose Sharks right winger Collin Graf, and they play a similar style, although Justin has a bit more size to him, which should be an asset.
Philip Hemmyr was impressive at both the junior level and the second level of pro hockey in Sweden. He has a great feel for the ice and seems to understand how to attack a defense. The Swedish center is a solid two-way player, but he is going to need to get a bit stronger and a bit quicker to make it at the NHL level.
Benjamin Cossette Ayotte is a defensive blueliner with sufficient passing ability not to be a liability when the puck is on his stick. He shows some really nice thinking under pressure and isn’t panicking when he has the puck. He moves well enough and doesn’t try to do too much.
The 18-year-old needs to embrace the physical aspect of the game just a bit more to fully become a stopper at the next level.
Nashville took a swing on an undersized prep player who torched the competition in Charlie Puglisi. He loves to push the pace and play the game at the speed he dictates. There is a level of energy that he brings that is hard to match for opponents.
Puglisi is a long-term project who is going to have to get bigger and stronger without losing the speed that makes him special.
STRENGTHS
The depth of talent across the prospect pool is going to be Nashville’s strength. They have a couple of very good players at each position and multiple solid depth pieces behind them.
For every Martin or Cullen, there is David Edstrom or Willis. On the back end, they have Molendyk and Bleyl, but they also have Viggo Gustafsson and Daniel Nieminen. The Preds have so many interesting prospects with at least a chance at playing NHL games.
WEAKNESSES
The Preds truly don’t have a positional weakness. You could maybe pick on the depth of defense on the right side, but that seems harsh.
The reality is that their weakness is not having a superstar-level prospect in the system, without a young superstar on the NHL roster. It’s tough to find elite-level NHL talent, so if the Preds start poorly again this year, they should look to tank and go get it.
HIDDEN GEM: TEDDY STIGA, LW
After a down sophomore year, the hype around Stiga slowed down slightly, but this is still the kind of player that screams'Smashville' with his high effort and do-whatever-it-takes attitude on the ice.
Stiga is skilled and tenacious, quick and intelligent. He’s the perfect Robin for someone else’s Batman. He should take on a leadership role at Boston College next season and rebound from his slow year this past year.
NEXT MAN UP: BRADY MARTIN, C/W
Martin almost made the team this past year. He very well could compete for a spot in training camp again this year. His compete level is through the roof, and if he can show that he’s a bit faster and more confident with the puck, he could be a mainstay with the Predators, even if he isn’t going to tear up the scoresheet each night.
It could give him valuable experience against men and show him what he needs to work on before he heads to the World Junior Championship, where he will likely be a key piece for Team Canada.
PROSPECT DEPTH CHART NOTABLES
LW: Wyatt Cullen, Teddy Stiga, Joey Willis, Kalan Lind, Reid Schaefer, Justin Graf
C: Brady Martin, Yegor Surin, Felix Nilsson, David Edstrom, Adam Ingram, Phillip Hemmyr, Charlie Puglisi
RW: Ryker Lee, Joakim Kemell, Aiden Fink, Hiroki Gojsic, Viktor Norringer
LD: Tanner Molendyk, Cameron Reid, Jacob Rombach, Daniel Nieminen, Viggo Gustafsson
RD: Tommy Bleyl, Jakub Floris, Benjamin Cossette Ayotte, Andrew Gibson, Alex Huang
G: Jack Ivankovic, Dmitri Borichev, Jakub Milota
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.
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