Nashville Predators: Top-10 Rookie Seasons in Franchise History

As the Nashville Predators enter a new era with a lot of youth and inexperience, in comes the opportunity for a newcomer to take the franchise by storm.

The Predators have forged ahead largely with the same veteran core for several seasons now, which hasn’t left the chance for many rookies to make their splashes on the NHL level. That’s about to change over the next couple of seasons here in Nashville.

The Predators could end up making some early call-ups that could in return end up having strong rookie campaigns. Philip Tomasino, Rem Pitlick and David Farrance are the three prospects that really stand out in that regard.

With the 2021-22 NHL regular season just over a month away, let’s go back in time to look at the best rookie seasons in Predators franchise history.

Seth Jones, 2013-14

Rookie Numbers: 77 games, 6 goals, 19 assists, 25 points, 99 blocks, 55 hits,11th Calder voting

Let me start off this list by saying this was incredibly difficult to rank. First off, the Nashville Predators have a much shorter history than most NHL teams, but they’ve also had plenty of impactful rookies over their two-plus decades of existence.

Seth Jones was the fourth-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. He had instantly high expectations as such a high draft pick after the Predators had a horrible lockout-shortened season where they finished in 5th place in the division.

This was the highest draft pick the Predators had in a while as they were starting to enjoy some regular season success and get into the playoffs. Jones came in to be a major foundational piece to the defense, and he brought those traits right out of the gate.

Jones cracks my list due to him not folding under pressure as he played in 77 games and put up respectable defensive stats while also contributing offensively with 25 points. Nothing to scoff at from a 19-year-old rookie.

Jones was also used heavily that season averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. He proved to be a smart pick even though his time in Nashville came up short with a trade that brought Ryan Johansen to the Predators.

Dan Hamhuis, 2003-04

Rookie Numbers: 80 games, 7 goals, 19 assists, 26 points, 22:08 ATOI, 11th in Calder voting

Dan Hamhuis marks a time when the Nashville Predators really started to build up their defensive pipeline and started becoming a playoff contender.

The Predators finished with 74 points in the standings the season before Hamhuis was drafted 12th-overall. They were trying to still earn that first playoff berth in franchise history after being the NHL for five seasons.

Hamhuis as a roughneck player with big size and the ability to also facilitate some offense. He wasn’t afraid to get physical and added some much-needed size and prowess to the Predators.

Even though his stats don’t necessarily dazzle you at first glance, he had a very strong rookie campaign as the Predators finally got into the playoffs for the first time. He ended up finishing 11th in the Calder Trophy voting as a vital part of the defensive corps that played over 22 minutes per game.

David Legwand, 1999-2000

Rookie Numbers: 71 games, 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, 4 power play goals, 11.7 shooting %

You’re probably thinking it’s blasphemous to have ole’ “Leggy” all the way back at No.8 considering he was the original Predators draft pick and went on to have such an outstanding career for the franchise that drafted him to start their expansion year.

David Legwand had a very commendable rookie season, no doubt. He was thrown into a situation where the team had very little high-end talent and was trying to find it’s place in the NHL. But he didn’t really miss a beat or fold under the pressure.

Despite being such a draft pick, Legwand didn’t immediately make it to the NHL after being drafted. He played for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL during the Predators inaugural 1998-99 season, and incredibly put up 105 points in 59 games. That’s Connor McDavid territory of production, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Either way, Legwand got the NHL nod the next season for the Predators and made an immediate impact on the infant franchise. He would go on to be one of the all-time greats spending 15 seasons with Nashville.

Eeli Tolvanen, 2020-21

Rookie Numbers: 40 games, 11 goals, 11 assists, 16.9 shooting %, 6 power play goals

Even though it was a rocky season for the Predators in 2020-21, Eeli Tolvanen was one of the major bright spots that brought enthusiasm to the fans. And it was well-deserved.

Tolvanen broke into the regular season on the first day of February after the Predators were already a half month into their schedule. He didn’t waste any time making an impact by scoring a goal in his first game.

The power play production of Tolvanen finally came to fruition for this Predators team as he got more games under his belt. His shot from the upper slot is pinpoint accurate, and he showed that to the tune of six goals with the man advantage.

I really wanted to move Tolvanen up on this list, but an injury derailed his season and once he returned he didn’t seem quite as comfortable. A shortened season to 56 games also leaves us wondering what kind of totals he could’ve amassed with the full 82 games.

Martin Erat, 2001-02

Here’s another key player who helped the foundation of this franchise in the early days; Martin Erat. A skilled puck handler and an outstanding team player.

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Erat was drafted all the way back in the 7th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, illustrating that you can always find franchise changing players later in the draft. He definitely did that for the Predators in his 11 seasons with Nashville.

It’s well-known that Erat was dealth for Filip Forsberg, and that the Predators completely won that trade. With that said, Erat is one of the classic great players of this franchise that old school Predators fans know all about.

Erat played in 80 games his rookie season and dealt out 24 assists, which was good for fifth on the team. The young Predators franchise was still finding its way, but Erat was such a major part of building the initial foundation of winning.

Alexander Radulov, 2006-07

With the Nashville Predators franchise still being under a decade old, in came the fiery Alexander Radulov. One of the most exciting and talented players the Predators had ever had up to that point.

Radulov was drafted 15th-overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft but initially spent time in the QMJHL where domination doesn’t even do it justice. He put up 152, yes 152, points in the 2005-06 season in 62 games. He also impressively put up over 100 penalty minutes.

Once Radulov finally got the Predators roster in 2006, he instantly became must-watch. He set the rookie franchise record for points in a season with 37, which wouldn’t be broken for several years after.

Radulov’s dramatic exit from Nashville will always leave him in a dark place among Predators fans, but you can’t deny how electric that rookie season was for him. He lit up Nashville to the point that no one had really seen in this sport up until then.

In the Calder Trophy voting Radulov finished 9th, and he also got votes for the Selke Trophy in his rookie season. He was 7th on the team in goals despite only getting 11:38 of average ice time per game.

Craig Smith, 2011-12

Rookie Numbers: 72 games, 14 goals, 22 assists, 36 points, 6 power play goals, 12th in Calder

As fourth-round pick from 2009, can you really ask for anything more from what we got from Craig Smith with the Predators?

Smith wasted no time at all jumping into the NHL and making his presence known out of the University of Wisconsin. He spent just four games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Adimirals, but did get plenty of time with the Team USA national team.

In his rookie season Smith scored 14 goals, which was good for ninth on the team. It was second season in a row that the Predators got past the first round and were starting to build into a deep playoff contender.

Smith had limited time on the ice at just over 14 minutes per game, but also contributed in the faceoff circle and defensively. He was one of those rookies that made the transition look seamless, which is so difficult to do for even the most talented of prospects.

It’s still hard for me to cope with losing Smith over the 2020 offseason for a contract that the Predators could’ve afforded. Either way, he’s overlooked as having one of the better rookie campaigns in team history.

Pekka Rinne, 2008-09

Rookie Numbers: 49 starts, 29-15-4, .917 save %, 2.38 GAA, 7 shutouts, 4th in Calder voting

I know, I know. You’re already shaking your head at me that I don’t have Pekka Rinne at the top spot on this list. But I implore you to hear me out on how difficult this was to choose.

Rinne had zero, yes zero, career NHL starts to his name before going on his astounding rookie campaign that saw him start 49 games for a Predators team that needed him badly. It’s no accident that the following season the Predators cracked hit 100 points in the standings.

The seven shutouts Rinne posted as a rookie isn’t even the most impressive stat for me. It’s the low GAA of 2.38 which is actually slightly below his career average. He shot right out of the gate and ended up being the cornerstone of this franchise.

Maybe you can call this 1B to 1A, but I decided not to put Rinne at the top spot of best rookie seasons. Only because the team did still finish out of the playoffs, and his save percentage wasn’t out of this world.

I’m splitting hairs here, but I had to choose. Here’s my winner.

Filip Forsberg, 2014-15

Rookie Numbers: 82 games, 26 goals, 37 assists, 63 points, 6 game-winning goals, 4th in Calder

First off, the fact that Filip Forsberg played all 82 games as a rookie is incredible on its own. He seized the opportunity almost instantly by putting up two assists during his technical rookie season.

Forsberg did appear in 18 NHL games for the Predators prior to the 2014-15 season, putting up six points. But he really took off during his rookie season to one of the most prolific offensive forwards the Predators had really ever had outside outside veterans who were brought in like Paul Kariya and a couple others.

I’m not sure if Forsberg’s franchise rookie record for points will be broken anytime soon. Possibly Philip Tomasino will have something to say about that, but the way Forsberg took off to amass 63 points for a team that never really had dynamic offensive forwards was amazing to see at the time.

Forsberg finished fourth in the Calder Trophy voting that season among some rather elite company ahead of him; Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Stone and Aaron Ekblad.

Honorable Mention:

Core players of the Nashville Predators franchise that you would expect to be on this list never really broke out until after their rookie seasons:

• Ryan Ellis
• Shea Weber
• Viktor Arvidsson
• Roman Josi

Other Predators rookies who had commendable rookie seasons, but I left off were:

• Ander Lindback
• Colin Wilson
• Cody Franson
• Kevin Fiala

This list took me a while to compile, but it was fun going back in history on the Predators franchise to find some of the best rookie seasons. I think they have more coming down the pipeline that will change this list including Philip Tomasino, David Farrance, Egor Afanasyev and Irasolav Askarov.

The Predators prospect pool has been steadily improving over the past couple drafts, so expect more rookies to make their marks in the coming years.