One skater ready for the grind is 20-year-old Luke Prokop, who concluded his 2021-22 season lifting the Ed Chynoweth Trophy with the WHL's champion Edmonton Oil Kings.
And Prokop didn't just ride the bench. The blueliner contributed an impressive 16 points (4g-12a) in 19 postseason appearances and finished the playoffs at +23.
Now back for his second Development Camp, Prokop says he's more than ready for the week ahead.
"We had such a talented group in Edmonton this year," Prokop said. "There were a lot of drafted players and being able to practice against those guys every single day was something that benefited me. I thought I had a really good season this year - and I have a shorter offseason now - but I'm just trying to be able to transfer it into next year. You know, just take a little bit of a break and then get back into the gym and on the ice and hopefully compete for a spot this year."
Another veteran Dev-Camper is offensive prospect Egor Afanasyev - drafted in the second round of the 2019 Draft and back for his third camp after a full campaign with the Milwaukee Admirals.
In his first pro North American season, the winger recorded 33 points (12g-21a) in 74 games.
"Every coach - from Head Coach Karl Taylor to all the assistant coaches - helped me get a step closer to being a National Hockey League player." Afanasyev said. "I think I have more confidence and feel like more of a veteran in Development Camp now."
Though most will spend the bulk of Dev Camp climbing the ladder or jockeying for a position on the team, there's undoubtedly fun to be had as well.
"It is a serious camp, but it's something that I probably took a little too seriously last year and didn't allow myself to have more fun with," Prokop said. "This time around I know a lot more of the guys and staff, so just joking around with them and having this be a little bit more loose was something that I tried to come into this past season and this Dev Camp with."
"It's the middle of the summer, and older guys come in somewhat serious, obviously to show the coaches what they can do," Afanasyev said. "But I think 50 percent of that is having fun and meeting all the new people here. You know, every year someone's new here, so I'm just trying to meet as many guys as I can and have fun and work hard."
Wednesday's festivities include Rookie Community Day, a Preds tradition that will see the prospects dispersed all over Nashville to participate in a variety of community outreach activities like culinary classes with kids, bingo at a senior living facility or a trip to Seacrest Studios at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital.
Cap it all off with a trip to the newly-constructed Geodis Park for a Nashville SC match, and the prospects are well on their way to completing a successful and rewarding Dev Camp.
"That was something that we kind of missed out on last year with COVID," Prokop said. "Being able to see the city a little bit more and see the community will be awesome."
Another slate of practices are scheduled for Centennial Sportsplex on Thursday morning before the grand finale Prospect Showcase Game at Ford Ice Center Bellevue on Friday. That game will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and streamed on NashvillePredators.com.
Click here for the full Development Camp roster
and
click here for a complete schedule
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