5 Promising Preds Prospects

Over the last several weeks, Predators fans have gotten a look at two of the up-and-coming players in the organization, as both forward Kevin Fiala and goalie Juuse Saros have made an impact on the team.
But there are plenty of other prospects working their way up the ladder all over the globe, destined to arrive in the NHL at various times.

Here's a look at five promising Predators prospects who've yet to play a game for Nashville. Jeff Kealty, the Predators' chief amateur scout, offers his analysis on each:

Name: Dante Fabbro
Position:Defenseman
Ht., wt.:6-0, 189 pounds
Nationality:Canadian
Drafted: 2016 First Round (17th overall)
Age:18
Current team: Boston University (NCAA Hockey East)
2016-17 stats:Six points (three goals, three assists) in 15 games played
Notable: Will represent Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championship beginning later this month … Could spend a couple of years in college before turning pro … Piled up 67 points in 45 games last season while playing for Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League.
Kealty on what kind of player Fabbro is: "He's just as solid as it gets. He has outstanding hockey sense and can play in every situation. He has a real maturity about his game. He kind of makes the game easy to an extent, just because of the way he processes everything and makes the right decisions. He can play every situation - penalty kill, power play, 5-on-5 and against the toughest lines."
Kealty on who Fabbro reminds him of: "We've compared him to a right-handed Ryan Suter, just in the way he's so efficient with everything he does. You watch Suter play, and he makes the game easy because he always makes the right decisions and is always in the right spot. Because of that, he can play a lot of minutes.
"One of the real assets he has offensively is the way he gets pucks through. He has an uncanny ability to - when you think a lane is blocked - to get pucks through over and over again. That's a key asset to generating offense from the back end these days."

Name: Samuel Girard
Position: Defenseman
Ht., wt.:5-10, 162 pounds
Nationality: Canadian
Drafted: 2016 Second Round (47th overall)
Age: 18
Current team: Shawinigan (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
2016-17 stats: 36 points (five goals, 31 assists) in 24 games played
Notable: Second on team in scoring … Third among defensemen in QMJHL in scoring, leads all QMJHL defensemen in points per game … Has one more year of junior hockey eligibility after this and will turn pro after that.
Kealty on what type of player he is: "He's a dynamic offensive defenseman. He's not a real big guy, so he needs to pack on some strength and some bulk. But he's an absolutely dynamic skater. He can really escape the forecheck, get up ice and get involved in the attack.
"He just has a real focus and flair about him that a smaller player needs to succeed. He's like some of the smaller defensemen in the League that have had success, whether it's Ryan Ellis or [Boston's] Torey Krug. We think he's got all the ingredients."
Kealty on how important it is for defensemen to be able to move the puck quickly and contribute on offense: "The game has become so fast. It's all about having the puck and being able to generate offense. If you can't get your defense involved in the attack, it's harder to generate offense. [Girard] fits in that mold of the way the game is trending."

Name: Patrick Harper
Position:Center
Ht., wt.: 5-7, 150 pounds
Nationality:U.S.A.
Drafted: 2016 Fifth Round (138th overall)
Age: 18
Current team: Boston University (NCAA Hockey East)
2016-17 stats: 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 17 games played
Notable: Competing for a spot on the U.S. Team that will play in the upcoming World Junior Championship later this month … Just a freshman, he leads the sixth-ranked Terriers in points and assists … Teammate of fellow Preds prospect Dante Fabbro.
Kealty on what kind of player Harper is: "One of the names we use (as a playing-style comparison) is a past Pred, Steve Sullivan. It would have been easy to overlook a 5-foot-8 guy playing prep hockey last year, but every time we talked about him, we'd say he just does everything you want at that level. He has the puck all the time, he's dynamic with his skills and skating, and creates tons of offense."
Kealty on how a smaller player like Harper can succeed: "You have to have a special quality and drive about you. This kid certainly does. There's risk in everyone you take, but we felt he was well worth it. So far, so good."

Name: Vladislav Kamenev
Position:Center
Ht., wt.: 6-2, 194 pounds
Nationality: Russian
Drafted: 2014 Second Round (42nd overall)
Age: 20
Current team: Milwaukee (American Hockey League)
2016-17 stats: 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 25 games played.
Notable: The closest of the five prospects listed here to playing in the NHL … Expectations are that he will eventually be a first- or second-line center in Nashville … Leads Admirals in both points and assists … Excelled as Russia's team captain at the World Junior Championship last season, producing five goals and an assist in six games … Produced 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 57 games for Milwaukee last year.
Kealty on what type of player Kamenev is: "He's a big, strong centerman that you can use in all situations. He's getting stronger all the time. He's got really good offensive abilities. He plays on the power play. He's got a really good shot. He's also going to kill penalties. He can be responsible in his own zone. So he's really the complete centerman with size that you're always looking for."
Kealty on what Kamenev needs to fine-tune for the NHL: "Just like a lot of the young players that have the talent to play in the [NHL] on a given night, it's the consistency aspect and it's also the pace. It's skating all the time without the puck, being responsible in all areas. Those are often common things you hear of with young players trying to get over the hump to get to the NHL, and he's no different."

Name:Yakov Trenin
Position:Center
Ht., wt.:6-2, 201 pounds
Nationality:Russian
Drafted: 2015 Second Round (55th overall)
Age: 19
Current team:Gatineau (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
2016-17 stats: 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 27 games
Notable: Ranks third on his team in scoring … Is competing for a spot on the Russian team that will participate in the upcoming World Junior Championship … Will turn pro next season, so he'll likely begin 2017-18 in Milwaukee … Broke his leg over the summer in a bicycle accident, so began this year slowly.
Kealty on what type of player Trenin is: "He's a big body, just a hard-driving centerman. He's a brute force type of guy. Maybe he doesn't have quite the level of skill Kamenev does, but he still produces offense by driving the net, being hard on pucks and competing for space everywhere."
Kealty on Trenin's physical presence: "He can certainly handle himself because of his size, strength and competitive mentality. He plays in the guts of the ice, so to speak… He's another two-way type of guy - big, strong and hard to play against. If you look at [Nashville's] lineup in five years and have [Kamenev and Trenin] down the middle, I think you'd be pretty happy."