Team Navy Tops Team Gold as Predators Development Camp Concludes

Luke Evangelista tallied twice and Yaroslav Askarov stopped every shot he faced in regulation as Team Navy captured a 7-4 victory over Team Gold in Friday's Prospect Showcase Game at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
Prospects Cole O'Hara, Alex Campbell, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Jachym Kondelik and Matt Miller also found the back of the net for Team Navy in the scrimmage.

"It was a relief to bury a couple there," Evangelista said. "First couple of shifts you're just trying to figure out the pace and how hard everyone is going… After we got settled in it was a lot of fun."
"It was definitely high tempo," O'Hara said. "It's been a while since I've played at that pace, but it was good. It was tiring, but it was a fun game."

Of course, it wouldn't be Nashville Predators hockey without SMASHVILLE, and the loudest fans in the NHL showed up in full force to watch their team's future stars take the ice.
"It was awesome to see," Evangelista said. "I think it just speaks to the hockey city that Nashville has become. Even for a Dev Camp game there were full stands, so it was just a ton of fun."
Team Gold got on the board off the first shot of the game - just 25 seconds in - as defenseman Adam Wilsby threw the puck into traffic from the top of the zone and found twine.
O'Hara evened the score at one apiece, burying a pass from Nashville's 2022 third-round pick Kasper Kulonummi into the back of the net.
Forward Matt Barbolini put Gold back on top late in the first half, wiring a wrister from the slot past Navy goaltender Braden Holt.
A pretty move in the first shootout from 2022 first-rounder Joakim Kemell padded Gold's lead, but Evangelista put it on the backhand and brought his team back within one.

A goaltender change to start the second half saw Askarov take his place between the pipes, and Team Navy didn't look back from there - scoring four unanswered goals before the end of regulation.
The Russian-born netminder - only beaten by forward Zachary L'Heureux in the second shootout - looked as solid as expected, with some added flashiness for the folks in the stands.

"[Askarov's] just got such a big personality and you saw it out there with the flying poke check," Evangelista said. "That's just who he is, and he's just a ton of fun to watch."
"He's unreal," O'Hara said. "I'd never seen him play before this week but he's definitely one of the best goalies I've ever seen, for sure."

With another Development Camp now officially complete, Nashville's prospects will return home with the experience of hockey at the NHL level now under their belts.
"You're not going to get better training than right here," Evangelista said. "Just because of the work ethic and the talent that you bring into these Dev Camps. I feel like I got better this week, for sure, and it was awesome."