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Players in Milwaukee destined for starts with Nashville Predators next season

The Predators are starting to rely on their youth to carry their organization. Here are three players from the Admirals who are destined to receive more in the NHL next season.
ByJordan Manning|
Teammates including Cal O'Reilly (16) surround Milwaukee Admirals right wing Joakim Kemell (25) to celebrate his goal against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the first period of Game 4 of their AHL playoff series Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Teammates including Cal O'Reilly (16) surround Milwaukee Admirals right wing Joakim Kemell (25) to celebrate his goal against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the first period of Game 4 of their AHL playoff series Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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For the past few seasons, we have seen many players from the Milwaukee Admirals have made their mark in Nashville. Players like Tommy Novak, Tanner Jeannot, and Fedor Svechkov shined their brightest when the team wasn't. Even though many of these promising stars have since left Nashville, it is a reoccurring theme year after year to see the youth break through.

There are a handful of promising young studs that have been developing in the minors over the course of the season. With the season reaching a close in the next couple games, we shouldn't expect any of these guys to get ice time this year. However, next year provides an ample number of opportunities for these guys to shine. Here are the three youngsters I could see taking the most out of an NHL opportunity next season.

Joakim Kemell

When former General Manager David Poile drafted Kemell in the first round in 2022, he expected big things out of him. The Finnish winger recorded 29 points in his draft year with JYP Jyväskylä in LIIGA. He also posted 16 points in the U20 WJC-20 tournament to place first among all Finnish players.

With the Admirals, Kemell has been nothing but special. In his first 14 appearances in Milwaukee, he recorded 13 points—6 goals and 7 assists—and in the postseason he had ten points including an astounding 8 goals. Kemell returned to the Ads full-time in 2023, playing 67 games. He finished the season with 41 points, consisting of 16 goals and 25 assists. He had the 4th highest point totals and 3rd most goals amongst his teammates.

He debuted with Nashville this season, making an appearance in only two games. The 20-year-old recorded only eight shots with minimal ice-time as an injury replacement. He returned to the Admirals where he is helping the Ads clinch the Central Division title. He currently has 18 goals and 20 assists in 62 games.

The Predators have a reach an all-time low in goal-scoring with an average of 2.56 goals scored per game. It would be in Kemell's favor to be the first Admirals player to see NHL time next year. He is tied with forward Jake Lucchini for most goals this season amongst the Admirals. With a disappointing season upsetting team chemistry in Nashville, Kemell could help bring it all together since he is from Finland. He could bring some youth to an aging European presence.

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