To start off our annual player spotlights to get you ready for the 2025-26 NHL season, we're opening up with an important prospect to the Nashville Predators prospect pipeline in Joakim Kemell.
Joakim Kemell's 2024-25 Stats:
Milwaukee Admirals: 65 games, 19 goals, 21 assists
Nashville Predators: 2 games, 8 shots on goal
2025-26 Season Preview for Joakim Kemell
A brief taste of the NHL for Kemell last season saw him put some shots on net in limited action of under 11 minutes per game. He has back-to-back 40-plus point seasons for the Admirals and also a solid showing in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Has Kemell maxed out his development in the AHL? I wouldn't go that far necessarily, but you are looking for him to take that next big step in 2025-26.
Kemell has a medium chance to win a starting spot out of Predators training camp this year. He's known for his wicked shot and pure offensive skills, something the Predators are going to be lacking in more than likely.
Imagine Kemell giving the Predators some extra juice in their offense as a depth player? Sign me up all day for that, and I don't think it's all that far-fetched to see that start happening very soon.
If Kemell can prove himself in training camp and earn the trust of Head Coach Andrew Brunette and his staff, then he'll fit a major need of the Predators. My prognosis of the Predators is they're going to be a team that leans heavily on disciplined defense and a bounce-back year for Juuse Saros in net. Goal scoring isn't going to be their main strength, and may even be a major weakness that keeps them near the bottom of the NHL.
Where will Kemell slot into the Predators starting lineup if he earns a role out of training camp is almost certainly in the bottom-six. The Predators have a couple spots up for grabs, and I absolutely have Kemell as a worthy contender for one of those spots.
Daily Faceoff's projected lineup currently has Kemell out of the lineup and fellow prospect Matthew Wood in there instead. I got these two teammates have a friendly but spirited competition to win a starting role out of training camp. I'd be really surprised if one of the two aren't starting on opening night.
Kemell also brings power play potential for the Predators on their second unit. Another area that the Predators need to show a lot more consistency in if they're going to climb out of the dark abyss of the NHL standings.
Predictions for Kemell in 2025-26
I really like Kemell's potential to play at half of the regular season games. The front office has said that they're ready to start turning towards the young talent of the organization to take on larger roles, and how can you leave Kemell out of that scenario?
It's challenging to predict Kemell's production for the upcoming season because it's really unknown how many games he'll see. If my estimation of around 40 games comes true, then I can see Kemell hitting 10 goals and close to 20 points. Not a breakout year for him, but certainly a stepping stone in the right direction of becoming an NHL regular.
The other side of the coin is that Kemell doesn't do enough to stick in the NHL and spends another majority of his year with the Admirals. That would put him behind schedule on his development if this happens due to where he was originally drafted and three seasons since his draft date.
Kemell was drafted in 2022 in the first round, so the time is now for him to show he can play on the NHL level on a regular basis. He still has two years left on his entry level deal.