The Nashville Predators use their second-round pick to select Jacob Rombach 35th overall on day two of the NHL Entry Draft. The massive 6'6" left-handed defender was born in Minnesota and played the last two seasons in the USHL. He appeared in a total of 116 games with the Lincoln Stars.
"A near-complete defensive toolkit and high-end puck retrievals" Are some of his abilities, according to the Elite Prospects 2025 NHL Draft Guide. They also go on to highlight his skating and how he can use it to evade pressure and open up a good breakout pass option.
The selection comes after Rombach doubled his point production from his previous year in the USHL with 18 points in 57 games. The defensive side is where he shines, as evident in his improvement in the plus-minus category. While not always the favorite statistic among hockey circles, he went from -8 to +29 in his second year. This shows a big step in his even-strength play.
This pick adds a new type of player to the Predators' defensive prospect pool. A large, physical defender who can evade pressure and forecheckers is a perfect top-four player that Nashville will look to develop. Large puck-moving defenders are valuable in today's NHL, so early on, it appears General Manager Barry Trotz found value with this selection.
It will likely be a few seasons till he cracks a Predators roster, so in the meantime, fans can watch him play at the University of Minnesota, where he is currently committed to play this fall in the NCAA.