It's a well-earned honor for Nolan - who has been with the organization as an amateur scout for the past decade - thanks to his work in identifying future NHL players, also including former Preds Seth Jones, Samuel Girard and Gabriel Bourque.
Not bad for a former minor-leaguer-turned businessman who realized early on in his 9-to-5 gig he still wanted to be in the game.
"I have to thank Predators General Manager David Poile, Jeff Kealty and former Preds Assistant GM Paul Fenton, as they've given me this opportunity," Nolan said. "It's exciting, its nerve-wracking, it's kind of crazy right now, but I'm just looking forward to putting my feet on the ground and just trying to fill Jeff's shoes. They're big shoes to fill, and so I'm just trying to put it all together. It's a great honor."
Kealty, who is Nolan's direct boss, has stated before it's not easy to teach scouting. Rather, there are those who simply have an eye for it, and a great eye at that. A former prep school and collegiate star at the University of New Hampshire, Nolan certainly knows the game and never lost that eye when his playing career concluded after the 1999-00 season.
His first opportunity to get back into hockey came with the St. John's Fog Devils of the Quebec League, before the Atlanta Thrashers gave him a shot as a part-time amateur scout in the mid-2000s. After two seasons in Georgia, the Predators came calling with a full-time offer, and Nolan hasn't looked back.
Neither have a number of his colleagues. It's a unique situation among the Nashville scouting staff in the sense that they've been largely a cohesive group for more than a decade, continuing to stockpile the prospect cupboard and allowing the Preds to find success.
He realizes it may sound corny, but Nolan insists the scouting staff really is like a family. So, even when an argument breaks out over a prospect's potential, the animosity never lasts for long.
"We all get along, we trust each other and we're very close," Nolan said. "We can disagree with each other without getting upset, and I think that's the key. We don't take it personally, and we understand we want that. We want those heated debates because that means you've got passion… No one takes it personally, and I think that's key. We trust each other, and there's no animosity between anybody. We want the best for the organization."
With Nolan now set to play a larger role in keeping his scouting family together, he also looks forward to continuing to add to Nashville's on-ice family, just as he's done for the past nine Drafts. And for a scout, there's nothing more gratifying than seeing the young hockey player you pushed for to find success at the NHL level.
"It's like watching your kid grow up and do positive things," Nolan said. "These guys are kids when we draft them, and all of a sudden they're 22, 23 and making an impact. It's very rewarding watching these guys develop and as players, but also as human beings."
Nolan was well aware of the sacrifices he was in line to make when he stopped sitting behind a desk and instead started residing in hockey rinks on the regular, but for all the time spent away from family and friends, the support he receives and the potential reward makes it all worth it.
After all, the next Arvidsson is out there. It's up to Nolan and his family to find him.
"The best part of my job is I'm doing something that I love," Nolan said. "This is what I grew up doing my whole life, so I'm blessed to have this job. There are only so many people that can have this job, so I don't take it lightly."
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In addition to Nolan's promotion, the Predators have named Stan Drulia a pro scout. Drulia was previously an assistant coach with Nashville's top minor-league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, for the past seven seasons.
