Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#14: Nashville Predators

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 23

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 2

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 2

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 69th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Matthew Wood (40th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Tanner Molendyk (17th)

System Score: 4

For the better part of its existence, the Nashville Predators have been a team clawing and scratching for a chance at the Stanley Cup, but have reached the Cup Final only once (losing to Pittsburgh in 2017). One of the remarkable things about the organization is that they have been able to be a perineal post-season contender and yet have managed to have first-round picks in each of the last six years (eight first-round selections in total). The other remarkable thing is that of those picks, only Philip Tomasino (drafted 24th overall in 2019) has become a full-time NHL player. In fact, of all the picks since 2018 (50 picks in total), only Tomasino and Luke Evangelista have played at least 100 NHL games. Even prior to 2018, the most successful Nashville draft picks (Samuel Girard, Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, Kevin Fiala, Victor Arvidsson, etc.) are no longer with the organization. What the system does have, however, are several prospects ranked in the top 100 of the Hockey Prophets top prospects rankings who are looking to take the next step in their hockey careers. 

The Top of The Pool:

The best prospect in the Predators system--and easily the best skater--is defenseman Tanner Molendyk. Nashville selected Molendyk 24th overall in the 2023 draft from the WHL's Saskatoon Blades. The swift and incredibly agile blueliner plays a fast-tempo transition game, and his speed and explosiveness means that he can not only take risks up ice, but also easily mitigate those risks by being able to race back into position before opponents can gain a spatial advantage. Molendyk packs a tremendous amount of leg strength into his 6'0, 181-pound frame, and is not afraid to use his power and leverage to initiate physical contact, too. He is an exciting player to watch, and last year he finished in the top five among WHL defenders in scoring production with 56 points in just 50 games. He is playing another year with the Blades, but this will be his last year in junior hockey. Molendyk should get a chance to play for Canada at the World Junior Championships, and will soon be knocking on the door of NHL ice time.

On other side of the puck is Matthew Wood, a NCAA forward for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a winger selected a few spots before Molendyk in the 2023 draft. At 6'4, 205 pounds, Wood is a power forward who led the UConn Huskies last season with 16 goals and 12 assists in 35 games before transferring to Minnesota this summer where he will have the chance to play with other NHL prospects like Jimmy Snuggerud, Ryan Chesley, Brody Lamb and Oliver Moore. Wood's main weapon is his shot. He had an NHL-ready shot in his draft year, and he has been improving it ever since. His right-handed release on the wrist shot has an incredibly heavy snap that allows him to beat goaltender's from the tops of the circles with power and accuracy, and he can blast his one-timer from anywhere. He is a quality passer, too, but his weakness comes in his lack of mobility. He has been improving his skating over the past two seasons, and his skating is not so bad that it will prevent him from making the NHL, but it will reduce his ability to take on NHL defenders one on one. As such, he will require players around him to help create chances that he can finish. 

Joakim Kemell is ranked only a few spots below Wood in the Hockey Prophets forwards list. Kemell was drafted 17th overall in 2022, and has been developing his game in the AHL after coming to North America from Finland after his draft year. The high-scoring right-winger adapted quickly to the North American ice, scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in his limited 14-game audition in 2023. Last season, he scored 41 points in 67 games for the Milwaukee Admirals with an additional 11 points in 15 playoff games. Kemell has been enhancing his offensive game from a shoot-first player to a more well-rounded producer, and the results of that transition can be seen in his ratio of goals to assists from his play in Finland compared to those in North America. Where he was once getting nearly all of his points from goals (28 of his 39 Liiga points were goals), he now gets nearly 60% of his scoring from assists, while still scoring goals at a decent rate (23 goals in 83 AHL games). He has added height and weight from his draft year, giving him a better NHL frame at 5'11 and 183 pounds, and should start to get some spot NHL ice time this season.

Yegor Surin and Zachary L'Heureux are the next two forwards in the Nashville pipeline, ranked 51st and 53rd overall respectively. Surin was drafted 22nd overall in last summer's NHL draft and is currently mixing time between the MHL and KHL in the Yaroslavl club system. In 42 games for the junior club last year, Surin posted 22 goals and 30 assists and tied for second on his team in scoring while being the top draft-year scorer in the league (note that 2025 draft prospect Ilya Ryabkin--who just came to North America to play for Muskegon in the USHL--was the only U18 player to outscore Surin last season). At 6'2, 198 pounds, Surin has good speed and a great work ethic and can be a force all over the ice with a mix of power and skill. 

L'Heureux has been an interesting story, to say the least. The former Halifax Moosehead might be better known for his multiple suspensions and on-ice intensity than he is for his prolific scoring. There is no doubt that L'Heureux is a menace on the ice, an agitator and sometimes hothead who likes to create or get involved in any altercation, but he is also a talented and hard-working hockey player who finished near the top of the AHL in rookie scoring last season while compiling 197 penalty minutes. He is back in the AHL for now, but likely not for very long. 

The Predators have a couple of other interesting prospects in the pipeline. Teddy Stiga in a left winger playing at Boston College on the same line as the presumptive first overall pick of the 2025 NHL draft, James Hagens. Stiga plays with speed, energy and very good game awareness. He reads plays well and is able to anticipate where the open spaces and opportunities are developing. He also has a nice shot and excellent timing. Andrew Gibson is a 6'3, 203-pound defenseman playing for the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds in the OHL. The Predators traded forward Jesse Kiiskanen and a second-round pick to Detroit to get Gibson, a player the Red Wings had drafted 42nd overall in 2023 (note that the Hockey Prophets had him ranked 62nd). Gibson has the potential to be a solid two-way defender in the NHL with good offensive upside and responsible play in his own end.

Return to the Team System Rankings

Below is the full list of the Nashville Predators' ranked prospects.

Top Forwards 

Top Defensemen