The 2025 NHL Draft will without a doubt be one of the most important in Nashville Predators history. General Manager Barry Trotz will have 10 draft picks to work with this year, three of which are in the first round. While most of the attention will be put towards the top 32 prospects, we shouldn't forget to show some love to the hundreds of other players in the combine.
Per PuckPedia, the Preds have two 2nd and 6th round picks, and one 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks. With most of these picks appearing in the first ten of their respective rounds, they got a good chance to draft the best player available. Examples in the best have shown that it is much better to draft by need rather than BPA—Moritz Seider and Matt Boldy just two name a couple. If Nashville goes off the board a bit in the later rounds, they could potentially land a gem. Here are three that could have some potential.
Filip Ekberg: Left Wing
Filip Ekberg played 53 games with the Ottawa 67's in the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 16 goals and registering 29 assists. The Swedish winger led team Sweden in goals (10) and points (8) at this year's WJC-18. At the international level, Ekberg recorded 27 points, consisting of an impressive 15 goals and 12 assists. Despite this, NHL Central Scouting projects him as a late 5th round pick. It is quite surprising how low his draft stack is given the talent he has to offer.
Ekberg's got something when it comes to his puck handling. His elite hands along with his size—5'10"—allow him to weave through opposing defensemen like nothing. He uses his offensive unpredictability to keep defenders guessing, setting himself up to make the smartest play. Thanks to his patience in the o-zone, he becomes a reliable playmaker, setting up high-danger plays which typically result in a goa.
Even though he isn't the center playmaker Nashville wants, his presence is what they need. Ekberg would be reliable on the powerplay on the right wing—his left-handed shot would allow ample scoring to right-handed players on the left like Forsberg and Matthew Wood. Additionally, he's shown glimpses of physicality; taking on much larger opponents along the boards for possession. One of the main reasons he fell in rankings was consistency but that was abolished later in the year. If Trotz does select Ekberg, we may have a potential middle-six winger on our hands.
Tomas Pobezal: Center
With HK Nitra in Slovakia Extraliga, Tomas Pobezal recorded 23 points in 42 games. It is very impressive what this kid can do at the highest league in Slovakia. He played an important role for Hk Nitra's special team lines—playing top minutes on the penalty kill and taking faceoffs. As an 18-year-old playing in a league full of experienced veterans, that is quite the feat. He's projected to get drafted in the late second, early third round.
He has been comparable to skilled wingers like Artturi Lehkonen and for good reason. The 5'10" centerman has hockey IQ and can sense a play before it begins forming. Like Ekberg, he's skilled offensively with his puck handling abilities which allows him to formulate stretch passes in the offensive zone. Pobezal's also been noted of having a strong locker room presence and is a leader on and off the ice—something that any team wishes for.
Some write that Pobezal lacks a definite skill that he excels in. While he is efficient at moving the puck, he isn't an elite skater by any means. As a result, many scouts have a hard time projecting him as a future star and rather see him as a bottom-six forward at most. In the case of Nashville, they would need anything they can get their hands on. Pobezal's special teams' presence would be really good for a Predators team in need of two-way centermen.
It would be in Trotz's best interest to split his focus on the early and late game at the draft. With Smashville's prospect pool ranking in the middle of the pack among the league's teams. The draft is the one place where a franchise can land their next big gun at little cost. Even if these two aren't examined, Nashville still has a chance to pick up somebody special.