Seth Jarvis, RW, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
My top choice for the Nashville Predators hasn’t changed all offseason. It’s still Seth Jarvis of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
Jarvis looks like the type of player who can transform an offensive attack for a team that’s lacking pure offensive weapons like the Predators are. I fear that the Predators have become a top-heavy team offensively, and they really need to seek out a pure offensive weapon in this draft.
When it comes to Jarvis, I just love his attack-first mindset. He plays this way thanks to how gifted of a puck handler and skater he is, which is going to translate nicely once he makes the jump to the NHL.
This highlight clip from the WHL shows off Jarvis’ aggressive style of play as he drives to the net and finished despite having defenders draped all over him:
Who does that remind you of on the Predators? Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi come to mind first, and the Predators need more weapons like that if they’re going to keep pace with the rest of the Central Division.
I’ve never wavered over the summer on the Predators taking Jarvis at the 11th pick. He fills the need that the Predators need the most, which is pure scorers that can make an impact quickly.
Of course drafting isn’t an exact science even if you ask the best draft experts in the business. It’s about targeting players with the most upside and that offer the least amount of risk. Jarvis checks all of those boxes and might end up being a major steal when we look back in four or five years.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Jarvis ranked No.18 in the draft class, while Elite Prospects has him ranked No. 13. There’s a chance a team in the top-ten reaches for Jarvis, but most likely he’ll be there for the taking if the Predators want him.
I’m confident that at least four of these five players will be available for the Predators, with one or two of them possibly being taken sooner than expected. I’ll be happy with any one of them for the Predators, but Mercer and Jarvis are the ones I want the Predators to take the most.