Joakim Kemell Flashes his Offense in Nashville Predators Loss to Tampa

To open up the 2023 Prospect Showcase for the Nashville Predators, Joakim Kemell brought the noise by showing off his elite offensive abilities.

The anticipation surrounding the Nashville Predators prospects was bubbling over coming into their Prospect Showcase weekend and their first matchup was against the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects.

One players in particular who was all over the radar of being a player to watch was Kemell, and we found out why as he tallied two goals in the Predators 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

Joakim Kemell Lives up to the Hype as a top Nashville Predators Prospect 

Kemell scored his first goal of the game by getting loose in the slot and sniping a puck past Tampa Bay goaltender Hugo Alnfelt, a former third round pick by the Lightning in 2019.

Skating without the puck and finding those high danger spaces to get shots off is fun to watch from a potential impact winger like Kemell is. It was on full display with his first goal.

After the momentum had shifted to the Tampa Bay prospects, Kemell notched his second goal of the game on a nice set-up pass from Tanner Molendyk, the Predators’ 25th-overall pick from this year’s draft.

Kemell definitely stood out the most from the Predators’ prospects by showcasing his offensive awareness and ability to show pinpoint accuracy with his shot. This is why many scouts have high confidence that Kemell can become the next impact winger for the Nashville Predators.

Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor told the Predators official website that Kemell has an “elite shot” and clearly stood out among the Predators prospects.Also really nice to see Molendyk make his offensive presence known so quickly. A late first-round pick that has been praised by a lot of scouts as an excellent draft selection by the Predators after first taking Matthew Wood at 15th-overall.

 “I don’t like singling guys out but obviously… he’s got an elite shot. He can really shoot the puck. He’s just the guy that really stood out for me.” -Karl Taylor on Joakim Kemell’s Performance

Navrin Mutter, highly regarded as a bruising forward who plays with a hard hitting mentality, got the first Predators goal by playing his style and forcing Tampa Bay into an inflicted wound for a goal.

Mutter is undrafted and is getting ready to be a key presence for the Milwaukee Admirals for a second season. Prior to that he has played in the OHL since 2017-18. He is currently on an Entry Level Contract that was signed by the Predators in March of 2022.

Taking untimely penalties did end up being a problem in this game to allow Tampa Bay to steal back some momentum after being kept in check for almost the entire first half of the game.

Penalties by Zachary L’Heureux and Egor Afanasyev led to two Tampa Bay power play strikes. Things that need to be cleaned up, especially coming from seasoned prospects who are competing for larger roles within the organization.

L’Heureux did make a position impression on Karl Taylor for bringing that intensity that we all know L’Heureux brings every shift.

Yaroslav Askarov got the start in net for the Predators prospects and held the fort down for a large chunk of the game before allowing two goals in the second period.

One save that really stood out from Askarov was an acrobatic and athletic denial that forced him down to the ice. He managed to deflect the puck away. His ability to make insanely difficult saves is a primary reason why he’s considered one of the best goalie prospects in the NHL world.

It’s important to remember that these prospect games are all about teaching moments for Karl Taylor. Identifying mistakes and setting these young players up for success as the regular season approaches.

Both the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals are going to look vastly different in the styles they play compared to last season. It’s going to take patience and growing pains before we really see positive results on the ice.

Next up in the Prospect Showcase for the Nashville Predators is a meeting with the Florida Panthers prospects Saturday evening at 5 P.M. CDT.