2024 Draft Picks, Top Prospects Included on Predators Development Camp Roster

After a successful weekend at the 2024 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators offseason continues as Development Camp returns to Music City on Monday.

Held each summer at Centennial Sportsplex, the weeklong camp provides Predators prospects an inside look at what it takes to compete - and thrive - in the National Hockey League and Nashville’s front office an up-close look at their extensive prospect pool.

Of course, Development Camp also gives Predators fans a chance to scope out the future of their team, with each of the week’s on-ice practice days - and the Future Stars Game finale at Ford Ice Center Bellevue - open to the public.

Learn more about this year’s camp attendees below and click here to view the full roster. Click here to view a complete Development Camp schedule.

The New Guys

All eyes at Development Camp will naturally land, first and foremost, on Nashville’s most recent acquisitions - a group that includes all eight of their 2024 NHL Draft picks. 

Nashville’s first-round pick (22nd overall) Egor Surin leads the pack here, with the 17-year-old two-way center sure to bring plenty of skill and physicality to Centennial this week.

Look for more offensive talents from second-round pick Teddy Stiga (U.S. NTDP), third-round picks Miguel Marques and Hiroki Gojsic (both from the WHL), fourth-round pick Viktor Norringer (Sweden juniors) and seventh-round pick Erik Pahlsson (USHL).

Watch out too for fourth-round pick Jakub Milota (QMJHL), Nashville’s only goalie prospect taken at this year’s draft, as well as third-round pick Viggo Gustafsson (HV71-Jr.), Nashville’s only 2024 defensive selection.

Though not a draft pick, recent trade acquisition Andrew Gibson - who established OHL career highs in games played (68), goals (12), assists (32) and points (44) with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this past season - should be another exciting prospect to track on the blueline.

Click here to read more about each of the Predators’ 2024 Draft selections.

The Preds Pros

With the Predators’ American Hockey League affiliate Milwaukee Admirals making another deep run in this year’s Calder Cup Playoffs and wrapping their season less than a month ago, the list of professional prospects attending this year’s camp is relatively small. 

Still, Predators fans can get their first look at trade deadline pickup Jeremy Hanzel, who made his professional debut this year in five late regular season games and one postseason outing with Milwaukee after producing at nearly a point-per-game pace (17g-43a in 66 GP) with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. For his efforts, the blueliner was named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. 

Returning for his second Predators Dev Camp, forward prospect Nolan Burke will no doubt be eager to show his A-game this week. Burke made his pro debut with Milwaukee in 2023-24 before spending the rest of the year with Nashville’s ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators. There, his production tapered off a good bit from his high-scoring days in the OHL. With his three-year, entry-level contract set to expire at the conclusion of this season, camp could be the perfect launching point for a successful sophomore season.

The Canadian Juniors

Returning for their second Development Camps, all five of the CHL players in this group were selected by Nashville at the 2023 NHL Draft.

Fresh off a Memorial Cup championship, fourth-round pick Joey Willis returns for his second Predators Development Camp this week. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound center served as alternate captain for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit this season and put up career highs in points (50), assists (36), plus-minus (+25) and game-winning goals (2). 

First-round pick Tanner Molendyk (24th overall) served as alternate captain for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and established career highs in points (56), goals (10), assists (46), power-play goals (2) and plus-minus (+40), despite appearing in the fewest games since making his WHL debut in 2020-21.

Second-round pick Kalan Lind (46th overall) saw similar successes, serving as alternate captain for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and reaching career highs in points (45), assists (29) and power-play goals (10).

Aged out from competition in the WHL, sixth-round pick Austin Roest (175th overall) is poised to make his professional debut with Milwaukee this season. Roest will have his work cut out for him joining a loaded Admirals forward group, but if the production from his final junior season holds - the Everett Silvertips captain scored 71 points (38g-33a) in 61 games - he could fit right in. 

The only other member of this group besides Willis not currently signed by the Predators, third-round pick Dylan MacKinnon (83rd overall) will also be at this week’s camp. Though his production is modest compared to a blueliner like Molendyk - he recorded 16 points (3g-13a) in 64 games - MacKinnon is still a capable, shutdown defenseman. Dealt from the Halifax Mooseheads to the Moncton Wildcats earlier this month, the change of scenery could prove positive for the young blueliner’s development.

The College Kids

Set to play his junior year with a new team after transferring to the University of Minnesota, Predators 2023 first-round pick Matthew Wood continues to climb the development ladder. Wood led the University of Connecticut Huskies in both his freshman (34pts, 23a) and sophomore (28pts, 16g) campaigns, while his 16 goals in 2023-24 established a career high. Wood even saw action at his first World Juniors tournament this year, putting up four points in five games as the second-youngest skater on Team Canada’s roster.

Seventh-round pick (2023) Aiden Fink - the final draft selection of David Poile’s career - enjoyed a breakout freshman year with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Fink produced at a point-per-game pace and concluded his debut NCAA campaign leading his team in goals (15), power-play goals (8) and points (34). In November 2023, Fink was named the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Rookie of the Month, becoming the second player in Penn State history to receive the honor.

Third-round pick from 2022, Adam Ingram, reached new heights of production in his sophomore campaign with St. Cloud State University, recording NCAA career highs in points (28), goals (10), assists (18), power-play goals (4) and plus-minus (+9). 

In his sophomore season with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen, 2022 fourth-round pick Cole O’Hara established career highs in points (19), goals (7), assists (12) and power-play goals (3). 2022 seventh-round pick Ben Strinden enjoyed similar growth in his sophomore year as well, recording personal bests in points (12), goals (6) and shorthanded goals (1) with the University of North Dakota.

The Europeans

Along with the three selected at the 2024 NHL Draft, Kasper Kulonummi, Felix Nilsson and Anton Olsson are set to represent Nashville’s European draft pool at this week’s camp.

Returning for his third Development Camp, Kulonummi notched four assists in 40 games for Tappara before winning his second Finnish Liiga championship. The blueliner added four more helpers in seven games at the 2024 World Juniors, where he was named a Top 3 player for his native Finland.

Skating in the Swedish junior league for Rögle BK J20, Nilsson put up 23 points (8g-15) in 23 contests before lending his talents to the club’s Swedish Hockey League counterpart en route to an SHL silver medal. 

Olsson kept busy this season, splitting the year between three different leagues: the SHL, the Finnish Liiga and HockeyAllsvenskan. Recording one assist in 18 regular season games for the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK, Olsson would add one more assist in 14 postseason contests before defeating Nilsson’s Rögle BK for the SHL championship title.

The Tendies

In addition to Milota, Predators goaltending prospects Ethan Haider and Juha Jatkola are due to appear between the pipes this week.

Haider concluded his final NCAA season posting a 7-11-2 record, a 2.91 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in 21 appearances before signing to an ATO with Milwaukee, as well as a one-year AHL deal for 2024-25. Though it’s somewhat unclear what his future in Milwaukee may look like headed into this year, this week’s camp should help the young netminder along considerably as he prepares for his debut professional season.

Though he owned an admirable 2.69 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage in his third Liiga season, Jatkola’s claim to fame came this January, as the 6-foot-1, 176-pound netminder sank a 200-foot bomb into the empty net to seal his KalPa team an unforgettable victory.