Pitlick, 24 (4/2/97), skated in 10 games for the Predators during the 2020-21 campaign, his second full professional season, and recorded two assists, with both coming on April 13 vs. Tampa Bay. The 5-foot-11, 196-pound forward also notched a +3 rating and dished out eight hits while averaging 11:18 of ice time. He began the season playing for the AHL's Chicago Wolves and picked up eight goals and 10 points in eight games; six (5g-1a) of his 10 points came during a four-game stretch from Feb. 9-21 that also included two multi-goal contests.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the third round (76th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Pitlick owns 46 points (28g-18a) in 71 career AHL games with Chicago and Milwaukee; he's also appeared in 11 career NHL contests with Nashville after making his League debut on March 25, 2019 at Minnesota. Pitlick's rookie AHL season in 2019-20 saw him tally 36 points (20g-16a) in 63 games, tying for third on the Admirals in goals. He helped lead Milwaukee to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL's regular-season champions and was among the AHL's top rookie skaters, finishing tied for first in power-play goals (10), fifth in goals and tied for 10th in points out of all first-year players.
Before turning pro, Pitlick spent three years at the University of Minnesota from 2016-19, a collegiate career that culminated with a junior season in which he posted highs in goals (21), assists (24) and points (45). In 2019, he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's top college hockey player and was named First Team All-Big Ten. Pitlick's father, Lance, played for the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers during an eight-year NHL career from 1994-2002, and his cousin, Tyler Pitlick, currently plays for the Calgary Flames.
