The 2023-24 NHL season is rapidly approaching, and the anticipation for the new-look Nashville Predators is high as we prepare to learn a roster full of newcomers and young talent.
The Nashville Predators have officially dropped their 2023 training camp roster with rookie camp set to open later this week and players first reporting to training camp a week from today.
The #Preds have announced their 2023 Training Camp roster and schedule:https://t.co/iB4PfM0Izq
— Nashville Predators PR (@PredsPR) September 13, 2023
High Anticipation for this Year’s Nashville Predators Training Camp
What makes this year’s training camp a little more intriguing than maybe years past is the clean slate feeling around the organization. Anytime you get a new General Manager and new Head Coach, there’s going to be a sense of hope and rejuvenation.
Nashville Predators training camp will offer us a first look on the ice of new players such as Ryan O’Reilly, Gustav Nyquist, Luke Schenn and Denis Gurianov.
What kind of line combinations will we see featured initially, including where the main free agency acquisition in O’Reilly slots in with at center?
Additionally, getting to see the young guns who were so pivotal in keeping the Predators in the playoff hunt late last season will really have fans locked in on this training camp. These players, including rookie sensation Luke Evangelista, will be pushing for roster position and looking to impress Head Coach Andrew Brunette.
To add onto that, some injured veterans will finally be back in action, most notably Filip Forsberg who has been out since February 11 after sustaining a nasty head injury after a hit along the boards. It ended his season prematurely while being on pace of his third-highest point per game output of his NHL career.
Captain Roman Josi also suffered a season-ending injury later in the season, which really dealt the final injury blow to a depleted Predators team that was relying on AHL players to fill out their core.
Professional Tryouts and Roster Bubble Players
Then there’s the players who will be on professional tryouts at camp. These are the underdog stories of training camp and players you can’t help but root for to make an impression on coaches.
One player who stands out in particular among the tryouts is 36-year-old Cal O’Reilly, who was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators 150th overall in 2005. He has 85 games of NHL experience with the Predators and put up 35 points. He last played in the NHL in 2017-18 for the Minnesota Wild, appearing in just one game.
Likely O’Reilly will provide 18 seasons of professional hockey experience to the Milwaukee Admirals.
The Predators will also be feeling out their goalie pipeline with Yaroslav Askarov being the unquestioned starter for the Admirals, but looking for his backup after Devin Cooley was lost over the offseason.
Askarov will be looking to make a solid impression for the NHL coaches, even if Kevin Lankinen is already the locked in backup to Juuse Saros to begin the 2023-24 campaign.
Finally, it’s all about those roster bubble players that have a decent chance to make the opening night starting lineup for the Nashville Predators, but need strong training camp showings. I’ve got my short list right here of those players I have circled:
Roster Bubble Players for the Nashville Predators
- Sherwood
- Egor Afanasyev
- Cole Smith
- Michael McCarron
- Jake Livingstone
- Spencer Stastney
Those six players can earn themselves a starting role with strong training camps. Everything else is either sorting out line combinations or deciding how to fill out the Milwaukee Admirals lineup.
Joakim Kemell will be a main feature for the Milwaukee Admirals in 2023-24, and it will be fun to see how comfortable he looks against some NHL talent at Predators training camp.
Kiefer Sherwood in particular is a player that has a lot to gain in the way they perform in training camp. I can see him bringing his relentless energy to camp and earning himself a fourth line role on opening night at the Tampa Bay Lightning. But that will mean leaving other worthy candidates on the bench.
Along with Sherwood, Afanasyev also has a lot to gain, both in rookie camp and in Predators training camp.
The six-game preseason slate opens up with a doubleheader against the Florida Panthers on September 25. The prospect rookie showcase comes later this week against the prospects of the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
Draft picks from 2023 who will be attending training camp will be 24th overall pick Tanner Molendyk, 46th overall pick Kalan Lind, 83rd overall pick Dylan MacKinnon, 111th overall pick Joey Willis and 175th overall pick Austin Roest.
The Predators’ first pick of the 2023 draft, Matthew Wood, will not be at Predators training camp as he prepares for his collegiate season with the University of Connecticut.
Check out the full training camp roster on the Nashville Predators official website.