Predators Select Seven Players in 2020 NHL Draft

Nashville, Tenn. (October 7, 2020) - The Nashville Predators made seven selections in the 2020 NHL Draft from the team's draft headquarters at Bridgestone Arena, taking three forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.

"We definitely addressed our needs through this draft, mainly by getting a young goalie in Iaroslav Askarov who going into the future brings a lot of promise to our organization," Predators Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan said. "Other than that, we really needed to fill a lot of holes, so we picked up some forwards and two right-handed defensemen, which was an area in our depth chart we needed to address. In all areas of the game - from skill, character, speed and size - we hit every aspect and we're happy that we did. We are happy with how the draft went."
Making a selection at 11th overall - their highest since holding the same pick in 2014 - the Predators drafted goaltender Iaroslav Askarov from the KHL's SKA Saint Petersburg. The 18-year-old became the third goaltender to ever be selected by Nashville in the first round and was the No. 1-ranked international goaltender by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the Draft. The Omsk, Russia, native has appeared in three games for SKA Saint Petersburg this season, going 2-1-0 with a 0.74 goals-against average, .974 save percentage and one shutout. He's also seen action for Saint Peterburg's team in the Russian second league, appearing in two contests this season after spending the entire 2019-20 campaign with the club, where he went 12-3-3 and posted a .920 save percentage in 18 contests. Askarov made history on Nov. 27, 2019 by making his KHL debut at the age of 17, becoming the second-youngest goalie to ever start a game in the league.

"Iaroslav is an elite, elite prospect," Predators Assistant GM/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty said. "The talent level and the athleticism stands out right away. We compare his athleticism to that of Pekka Rinne or (Los Angeles Kings goalie) Jonathan Quick, and he's mature beyond his years in terms of his compete level and mental make-up. Even at such a young age, he's proven himself in a men's league by playing in the KHL over in Russia. We believe he was the best player available, and if you have a franchise goaltender on your hands, which we do believe he will be, you're in a very good situation."

In the second round, the Predators selected forward Luke Evangelista from the OHL's London Knights with the 42nd overall pick. Evangelista, an 18-year-old from Oakville, Ont., played in 62 games for the Knights last season, tallying 61 points (23g-38a) - 57 of which came at even-strength - and six game-winning goals, the second-most on his team. Compared to his rookie OHL campaign in 2018-19 (two assists in 27 games), he posted a 59-point improvement and was a key contributor to London's league-leading penalty kill, chipping in two points (1g-1a) to a unit that operated at an 83.8 percent success rate. The 5-foot-11, 166-pound forward is second-cousins with two-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan.

"We watched Luke play a ton this past year, and the thing that excites us the most about him is that he has excellent upside," Predators Amateur Scout Matt Paton said. "He's a good offensive player who plays hard and is a good two-way forward. He does all the little things right. He's a very reliable player for London, and his hockey sense is off the charts. He is going to get bigger and stronger, but I think he is going to be a very good player for us."

With their third choice, the Predators selected defenseman Luke Prokop from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen at No. 73 overall (third round). The 6-foot-4, 217-pound native of Edmonton, Alta., was third among Hitmen blueliners in points last season with a career-high 23 (4g-19a) in 59 games; he also established career highs in goals (4), assists (19) and plus-minus (+4). Prokop, whose favorite team growing up was the Predators, has represented his country once on the international level, competing in the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge as a member of the Canada White team where he served as an alternate captain.
"I think he certainly fills a role that we needed," Predators North American Amateur Scout Glen Sanders said. "We wanted some size, and we wanted a right-handed defenseman. He's very skilled and his agility for a 6-foot-4 guy is incredible. He's a very good athlete - not just a hockey player - but a great athlete. I think he plays really similar to (Boston Bruins defenseman) Brandon Carlo."

Nashville selected defenseman Adam Wilsby with its fourth-round pick at No. 101 overall. That pick was acquired along with forward Luke Kunin from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for the 37th overall (Marat Khusnutdinov) and 70th overall (traded to Detroit; Detroit selected Eemil Viro) picks in the 2020 NHL Draft and forward Nick Bonino earlier in the day.
Wilsby, a 6-foot, 183-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden, is beginning his first full Swedish Hockey League campaign, having already played in four games for Skelleftea this season. He spent the majority of the 2019-20 season on loan with Sodertalje in Sweden's second division, where he posted 27 assists - the most by a junior player in the league - and 30 points in 41 games; he also made professional debut in the SHL with Skelleftea and played in 13 games for Skelleftea's junior side. Wilsby is a product of the Skelleftea youth hockey program, the same one that developed current Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson.
"He has a very good overall game, and he certainly impressed me last season," Predators European Scout Lucas Bergman said. "Last year he was on loan with Sodertalje and he just took off. He's an elite skater. He has the ability to close time and space with his ability to skate and is a very good puck mover who likes to join the rush and create offense from the back end. He's a bit quiet on the offensive blueline, but he always gets the puck through."

Luke Reid, a defenseman from the USHL's Chicago Steel, went to the Predators in the sixth round at No. 166 overall. In two seasons with Chicago, the 6-foot, 190-pound blueliner posted consecutive 19 point campaigns and tied for the Steel lead in plus-minus in 2018-19 at +15. Before making the jump to the USHL, the Geneva, Ill., native spent the 2017-18 season with Penticton of the BCHL, where his 18 points (2g-16a) helped the Vees to a division title. Reid is entering his freshman season at the University of New Hampshire.
"His style of defense works in today's NHL," Predators North American Amateur Scout Dave Westby said. "He is a natural skater, makes good puck decisions and makes good first passes to get the puck out of the zone. He's active, involved and can jump into the play. His coaches at New Hampshire have talked to us and they expect him to come in and be an impactful player as a freshman while also getting opportunities on the power play and penalty kill."
The Preds closed out the 2020 NHL Draft with two picks in the seventh round, taking forwards Gunnarwolfe Fontaine at No. 202 overall and Chase McLane at No. 209 overall. Both choices were acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the No. 135 overall pick (Elliot Desnoyers).
Fontaine, a 20-year-old from East Greenwich, R.I., is entering his freshman year at Northeastern University after spending the last two seasons as a teammate of Reid's with the Steel. In 2019-20, he was fourth on Chicago in points with 57 (26g-31a) and in 105 career USHL contests posted 100 points (46g-54a) and a +36 rating.
"He's a dynamic player with the puck and can really shoot," Nolan said. "He has a release we haven't seen too often and he can score from all areas of the ice. He's got a little rat in his game and I think that's going to come out even more when he gets bigger and stronger. We're excited to add him to our group."

A 20-year-old center from Trenton, Mich., McLane will be a freshman at Penn State University in 2020-21 after competing in three USHL seasons for the Tri-City Storm from 2017-20. McLane, who is 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, amassed 48 points (13g-35a) and 233 penalty minutes in 100 career USHL appearances with the Storm, including 16 points (5g-11a) in 18 games last season.
"He is a legit, strong centerman who does everything," Nolan said. "He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades - he can play on the penalty kill or power play, but the thing that we really liked about him was how hard he was. He brings character to the game, he can play a hard game, but he makes plays and we think that side of his game is going to get better as he keeps developing at Penn State."

The Predators' Hockey Operations staff now turns their focus to the start of free agency, which commences on Friday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. CT.