Nashville Predators are No. 8 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

The Predators are a difficult team to slot because their top prospect is probably the least exciting among the top 10 pools in the league, but they’re also the only team in the league with nine first-round picks in their pool. Add in some depth into the teens in terms of quantity, as well as the additions of David Edstrom and Yegor Surin to help offset the losses of Yaroslav Askarov and Philip Tomasino and it’s a strong pool even if it doesn’t have one of the big, big names.

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 8 (change: none)

1. Tanner Molendyk, LHD, 19 (Medicine Hat Tigers)

An incredibly mobile defenseman, Molendyk uses light edges to adjust and shape to coverage with ease in all four directions. He evades pressure and walks the line beautifully and effortlessly, displaying comfort on his heels and inside and outside edges. He’s also a competitive defender on both sides of the puck who plays tight, active gaps to use his feet to be disruptive, step up in transition and kill plays early. In his draft year, he drove results with the Saskatoon Blades, helping them into the third round of the WHL playoffs while playing behind 21-year-old overage defenseman and captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere on the power play. Last year, though a couple of injuries impacted his post-draft season and cost him a top-four role on Team Canada at the World Juniors as an 18-year-old, he was one of the best defensemen in junior when healthy and finished with 66 points in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games while playing to a plus-51 rating. This season, after nearly making the Predators out of camp, Molendyk wore a letter and played on Canada’s first pair at the World Juniors in advance of a trade from Saskatoon to Medicine Hat, where he’ll push for a WHL title before playing in the NHL next year.

I don’t think anyone who has watched Molendyk closely would be surprised if he becomes an effective all-situations, play-steering top-four defenseman on the back of his skating, comfort and consistent decision-making. He plays quickly, leads entries and exits with his feet, makes quick passes under the first layer, has poise under pressure and defends at a high level because of his feet. He has played a more ambitious offensive game over the course of the last year as well, showing more skill on the puck and upping his activity level. He really does have tremendous edges and is very smooth in possession. He’s an elite skater and one of the best players in the CHL who can influence the game in all areas (in-zone defense, getting back to pucks, breakouts, entries, lock-up rush defense, offensive zone creation, etc.). He needs to be a little stronger on pucks/in battles at times but he plays hard and defends at a very high level for an average-sized, 5-foot-11/6-foot D.

2. Matthew Wood, RW/LW/C, 20 (University of Minnesota)

Wood was the youngest player in college hockey in his draft year (he was, for a moment, its only 17-year-old) and stepped right in to become an impactful player and eventually the leading scorer on a good UConn team (albeit as a winger after playing mostly center at the Jr. A level, though he’s comfortable at all three forward positions). Last season, his counting stats as a sophomore took a bit of a hit, moving from 34 points in 35 games to 28 points in 35 games, but most of that is the byproduct of a much weaker UConn team (a team he still led in scoring by five goals and six points) — although it did highlight concerns some have about his ability to be a driver/his need to play with other good players who can get him pucks. This season, after a transfer to Minnesota, he has played to a point per game and was cut as a returnee to Team Canada ahead of the World Juniors.

His statistical profile remains projectable but there are parts of his game that feel less projectable in terms of what he’ll be in the NHL. That point-per-game production as a freshman came a year after he led the BCHL in goals (45 in 46 games) and points (85) for a 1.85 points-per-game clip that stands as the most productive 16-year-old season in the league in decades. He also found ways to get his looks in a limited role at the World Juniors in Gothenburg, even if they didn’t bring him back because they weren’t sure where he fit in the lineup and they had questions about his skating/pace.

Wood is a rangy, multi-dimensional shooter and goal-scoring forward who has silky hands for 6-foot-4 (considering the long stick he uses, he’s got superb control on the toe of his blade out wide and the heel in tight to his feet), a marksman’s shot inside the offensive zone (both through a natural shooting motion and his one-timer) and a sixth sense for arriving around the net/slot at the right time. He protects the puck really well out wide to his body, does a good job holding onto pucks for that extra second required to walk into his spots without needing bursts of speed to get there and can also slip and navigate pucks through traffic against reaching sticks. I’ve seen him support play well defensively off the puck.

He’s got quick hands one-on-one, he drops pucks back into his shooting stance effortlessly and he’s got a beautiful curl-and-drag motion. He has also worked to up his work rate. But his skating is a limiter and he’s slow out of the blocks/hasn’t made enough progress there over the last couple of years in improving it. When he keeps his feet moving in puck protection, he draws a ton of penalties, but he doesn’t have NHL pace/jump and he’s not ultra-competitive/a driver. He’s better suited as a playmaker and finisher than a power-forward type (he’ll never be that), but he has become more competitive over time (a little more than he gets credit for). I like the way he slows down the game, adjusts and maneuvers his frame and shades pucks and I believe he’s got middle-six and power-play upside as a winger, even without the speed. He does need to find a way to get quicker in order to maximize the rest of his talents, though.

3. David Edstrom, C, 19 (Frölunda HC)

Edstrom was a steady riser in his draft year two seasons ago and though he has been dealt twice since then he has continued to develop in line with what you’d expect out of him. In his draft year, he was one of Sweden’s best players as their first-line center at U18 worlds after a good season split between Frolunda’s J20 and SHL team, establishing himself as a borderline-dominant player against his peers and demonstrating he could hang against men. Last year, he played a regular role in the SHL and centered Sweden’s third line (though they were used like a second line at times) at his first World Juniors, helping them to a silver medal again playing alongside his U18 worlds linemates of Otto Stenberg and Felix Unger Sorum (he was the least impressive of the three and a little quiet, but was also 18). This year, reunited once more with Stenberg and Unger Sorum, Edstrom centered the Swedes’ top line as a returnee, made some big plays in the tournament, had a goal disallowed and played a lot (he led all Swedish forwards in average ice time at around 21 minutes). He has also continued to establish himself in the SHL as a teenager.

His stride is a little stilted and he’s not a great skater (I think it was overrated in his draft year by some and he has talked to me about the need to continue to work on it), but he’s good in a very effective kind of way. He can also play with power or play with skill and smarts, which blends to allow him to take pucks off the wall to the inside and then execute in congested areas in ways you wouldn’t necessarily expect out of a 6-foot-3 player. He’ll make a soft-area play one shift, a play in tight to his body the next, and then drive out of those plays the next. At an early age, it’s also clear he has a really mature understanding of how to use his size to his advantage without being a super heavy or forceful player (it’s very subtle uses of his length and puck protection). He looks to dictate with his length and knows how to position himself against defenders. He’s decent on entries and will hold pucks but can also play off his linemates. He’s not a natural playmaker but makes smart play and functions off a variety of linemate types well. His wall game is good and the net-front on PP suits him. He’s not mean but he protects it really well and takes pucks to the net against his peers.

It’s not flashy but Edstrom projects as a solid third-line center who can potentially contribute on both special teams.

4. Zachary L’Heureux, LW, 21 (Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals)

After missing the first couple months of his year two seasons ago rehabbing a hip injury that had become debilitating for him, L’Heureux was a force for the Mooseheads after returning and has progressed nicely while fearlessly playing to his identity up levels ever since. The timing of the injury was a shame, because I thought he was one of the best players at Hockey Canada’s summer showcase for the World Juniors in Calgary two summers prior and I think he would have had a real chance of making the Halifax team that won gold had he been healthy (even with some of the issues with on-ice discipline that have followed him, he would have made a lot of sense as a bottom-six guy). Last year, as a rookie at the AHL level, I liked the way his game translated. He didn’t lose any of his identity as a pest/drink-stirrer and was productive and impactful while being one of the league’s penalty minutes leaders (which comes with some drawbacks but coaches have learned to live with it because he also pulls his team into the fight). I’d like to see him spend less time in the box than he does but it’s positive that he didn’t change his style once he started playing against bigger, stronger competition. That has continued this year mostly at the NHL level as a second-year pro as well. He’s going to be someone that opposing teams are aware of and hate playing against for a long time and it’ll just be about striking the right balance within himself.

When L’Heureux plays within himself, he’s a powerful, talented, heavyset winger who is a lot to handle and difficult to knock off the puck. His stride can look a little choppy but he’s strong through his pushes to attack defenders and then he’s got the dexterity to play through sticks and feet as well as the shot to score (when he leans into his snap shot, it really whips off his stick quickly). When he’s ramped up and engaged, he’s a pesky, physical, hard-on pucks winger who can barrel at, or through, opponents to the middle third of the ice, win back possession on lifts and battles and impose himself on the game. And while he can be his own worst enemy at times, he’s always going to have to walk a fine line. I view him as a hard-to-play-against third-line contributor who gives a line some skill (he’s quite talented) and sandpaper and could move up the lineup to play off skilled linemates in a pinch as well. He also doesn’t have to play in a top-nine role to impact a game and could be an in-your-face fourth-liner (which not a lot of first-rounders have to fall back on). With the right coaching, he’s got what it takes to be a valuable player for the Predators.

5. Fedor Svechkov, C, 21 (Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals)

Svechkov had for years looked like a legitimate prospect in his age group and at the MHL (which included a 16-shot performance two years ago!) and second-tier VHL levels in Russia, but he wasn’t able to really establish himself in the KHL with two different teams (SKA and then Spartak) before he made the jump to North America. Since arriving, though, he has established himself within the organization, first in the AHL where he looked more like himself last year, producing as a rookie center who averaged about 15 minutes per game as a rookie, and then this year playing closer to 17-18 minutes per game to nearly a point per game in the AHL and earning his first NHL opportunities with the Preds (who he has played quite well with of late and looks like he should stick around). I think he has benefitted from the smaller ice surface, where his heady game was always going to work better.

He doesn’t have high-end scoring touch or enough skating (his stride extends back through his toes, hunching him over his skates, instead of back and out through the arches of his feet) to elevate his projection from everyday NHL center to a potential impact one, but there’s a lot to like about his makeup and a potential future as a contributing third-liner. His defensive awareness and intelligent, efficient offensive game make him an intriguing player. Though he’s got real work to do in the faceoff circle, he’s otherwise a very complete player with a knack for disrupting and lifting pucks, sound positioning and an understanding of how to support the play and lead it in the right direction. He stays available for his linemates and involved through the neutral zone without needing to be fast. He does a good job creating separation with his go-to stop-up to force defenders off him and allow him to attack back into the space they’ve left behind. He has managed to produce at a consistently high level over the years despite lacking that star quality that most first-round forwards possess. He makes a lot of quick, smart plays with a good understanding of spacing. I don’t want this to position him as unskilled, either. He’s capable of carrying the puck and making plays in the offensive zone. But the real strength of his game is in its subtleties and intellect.

6. Joakim Kemell, RW, 20 (Milwaukee Admirals)

Kemell feels like he’s older than he is because it feels like he has been around forever. This is already his third AHL season and the fifth year in which he has played pro games. He appeared in three World Juniors (Edmonton at 17 before it was cancelled, Edmonton again in the summer at 18 and Halifax while still 18) without even actually playing in his 19-year-old tournament last year because he was full-time in Milwaukee. After an excellent age-adjusted year in his draft year and excellent age-adjusted production in his jump to the AHL two seasons ago, Kemell was productive with Milwaukee last year for his age, registering 41 points in 67 games (third among all U20 AHL players behind only Shane Wright’s 47 points and Jiri Kulich’s 45). This year, he has continued to be productive for the Admirals and while it can feel like players like Svechkov and L’Heureux have leapfrogged him for NHL opportunities it’s worth remembering that they’re older than him even if it doesn’t feel that way.

Kemell is a gifted, shot-creating winger who excels with the puck on his stick, carves teams up through coverage to take the play from the flanks to the interior and possesses quick, light hands. Those tools enable him to take advantage of his dangerous NHL wrister and one-timer, both of which he can get off quickly from a variety of stances and at a variety of tempos and both of which pop. On the puck, he’s agile through cuts and changes of direction, can threaten one-on-one and plays an intentional, attacking style. Against his peers, he was always competitive and borderline powerful as well, though he can’t play that same way against pros.

Off the puck, he also plays with some energy and is competitive, which has endeared him to coaches to this point despite his 5-foot-11 frame and lack of explosive straight-line speed. I’d like to see him slow down and utilize his linemates a little better than he does as he’s actually a heady playmaker when he opens his plane of sight, but part of what makes him interesting is his insistence on creating his own looks (even if that comes with some forcing it) with that shot of his.

He’s got some work to do to add a little more variety and pace to his game, and there’s a chance he just tops out as a tweener, but he could become a middle-six scorer and PP2 winger if all goes well.

7. Yegor Surin, C, 18 (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)

Surin is a talented and multi-dimensional offensive player who really took off in the second half of the MHL regular season and into the playoffs in his draft year, becoming one of the most impactful forwards in the league as an August birthday who was one of the youngest players on my draft board. I ranked him a little lower than where the Preds took him (41st when he went 22nd) but he had late-first momentum late in the year and the Preds certainly weren’t alone in viewing him in that range. This year, though he has played mostly a limited role in the KHL, he hasn’t looked out of place in his minutes with Yaroslavl and has utterly dominated when back in the MHL.

Surin’s a good skater who plays with plenty of pace and tempo to hunt and win pucks or push play down ice. He’s also now listed just below 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds but has the individual skill of a smaller player. He can play all three forward positions. He excels on the flank on the power play because of his plus vision and a dangerously quick release from midrange. He’s very physical and plays with a real chip on his shoulder. He can frustrate with his lack of discipline, though, whether by trying to be too cute at five-on-five attempting unnecessary one-on-one plays, or by taking careless penalties (scrums after the whistle, interference trying to be sly, high hits, stick infractions, etc.). Some of it you can live with because he’s competing for possession and battling for pucks or looking to play the body, but there are too many instances in a game where he’s reckless in his decision-making on and off the puck (though he has made progress this year on the discipline front). His skill, size, tools and fire make him very appealing and I thought about ranking him a little higher here. His decision-making and hockey IQ are the areas of development but he thrives playing on instinct and has a lot of projectable elements. He’ll be a top-nine forward someday, but it could be a few years of waiting.

8. Teddy Stiga, LW, 18 (Boston College)

When I asked two staff at the NTDP about Stiga midway through last season, one called him the most underrated player on the team and the other simply said, “Teddy Stiga is just a hockey player.” That latter line, as ambiguous as it is, feels rather fitting. Scouts had a tough time putting a finger on a projection for Stiga to start his draft year because while he was a likable and talented player, he was a 5-foot-10 winger who didn’t wow people as a 16-year-old the year prior. His progression since, though, has been among the steepest in the age group. He isn’t necessarily an NHL mold or archetype but he stirs the drink on the ice, whatever line he’s on is usually the one that’s clicking, and his game just took off in the second two-thirds of last year. Coming into the year, there were questions about which non-Hagens/Eiserman forward would separate themselves from the other ‘06s at the program and, for me, Stiga emerged to establish himself as a slight cut above Brodie Ziemer and Max Plante (who I also like and are both good players in the age group). This year, as a freshman in college, that progression has continued and he has been a strong contributor in the top six of an Eagles team that ranks first in the country, producing just below a point per game. After starting as a scratch as an 18-year-old at the World Juniors he also climbed his way from 13th forward to fourth line and eventually third line, scoring the golden goal in overtime against the Finns and playing with his usual pace and intention.

Stiga’s a strong skater who is good on entries and can lose his man spinning off coverage on the wall inside the offensive zone. He always seems to be in the mix of the play offensively on his line and producing and making plays when they’re there to be made. He’s got a great feel for the game and on-ice awareness. He’s consistently noticeable and will take pucks to the net or go there to push for rebounds. He’s competitive and engaged and will let opposing players know both of those things when challenged. His shifts always seem to be spent in the offensive zone. He’s a plus-level skater who keeps his feet moving on and off the puck. He’s got skill and craft and showed some real creativity as the year progressed, with sneaky vision. Add in gifts as a small-area player with noticeable handling and finesse skills, some spins, and a knack for finishing on the chances he gets and he’s intriguing. He has caught my eye in most of my viewings over the last year and a half, plays with some jump, seems to make plays in transition and inside the offensive zone and seems to fit with talented players. I ranked him 33rd when the Preds took him 55th and wrote ahead of the draft that “I think he might surprise some people at BC next year with the impact he’s ready to make.” That’s exactly what he has done I think he plays in the NHL someday if he keeps at it.

Here’s BC associate head coach Brendan Buckley on Stiga from a recent conversation: “Just watching him and the way he has come along and gone, I would not be surprised one bit if he makes (it). His pace is very good, he’s competitive. I like him.”

9. Reid Schaefer, LW, 21 (Milwaukee Admirals)

Schaefer is a straight-line, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, net-driven, north-south, shooting winger. I’ve also, with repeat viewings over the last few years, developed a greater appreciation for his ability to manufacture for himself as more than just a powerful chip-and-chase guy who can rip it (though those things are his foundation). Though we didn’t get to see it at the World Juniors after he fell from the fourth line to a bit of a 13th-forward role, and his statistical profile doesn’t scream NHLer, Schaefer’s got a projectable game with a high floor and has come a long way in a short period (he began his draft year as a C-rated skater by NHL Central Scouting). His statistical profile has also been influenced by the depth of his teams (both with a Seattle Thunderbirds team that was one of the WHL’s best and deepest in back-to-back years, winning the WHL title, and last year on a top AHL team as a rookie in Milwaukee). This season, he was off to a strong start with the Admirals and his production had seen an uptick before suffering an upper-body injury in December (I believe it was his shoulder). Schaefer’s a well-built, 6-foot-4, 220-pound winger who plays like his size and offers pro traits and approach. I didn’t view him as a first-rounder, but he’s a hardworking push-and-pop player who can skate, can downhill and offers some punch and a different element to whatever line he’s on. He tops out as a bottom-sixer because he lacks some of the finer skills and processing to be more than that, but he might in time become a very effective role player.

10. Felix Nilsson, C/LW, 19 (Rogle BK)

Nilsson was one of the more productive U18 players in Sweden’s J20 ranks in his draft year and has been one of the most productive U20 players in the SHL this year (ahead of first-rounders like Edstrom and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard).

He’s a very nimble player on the attack, regularly taking defenders on angles and cuts and beating them laterally to make outside-in or inside-out plays. He has also slowly added muscle to a once-thin frame (he’s now listed at 6-foot and 190 pounds). He’s a very smart player in possession of the puck, with a knack for problem-solving and processing the game one step ahead of the development of the play to compensate. He first caught my eye at the fall Five Nations tournament in Plymouth in his draft year (it was a shame he wasn’t able to play at U18 worlds due to injury) and turned himself into a player scouts were intrigued by but couldn’t fully place or project. His shot is just average and there are questions about whether he’ll be able to score enough to play in the NHL someday but he’s a slick, crafty player with finesse skill, talent in distribution and enough of a willingness to take pucks from the perimeter to the inside. There are times when he needs to make more finishing plays and be harder on pucks, but I’ve been increasingly impressed with his play off the puck. His puck play has always been his calling card but he also gets up and under sticks, he tracks, he’s good stick on lifts/takebacks and he keeps his feet moving without the puck and skates off the puck to get pucks back. On the puck, he’s more passer than shooter but sees the game really well and he has gotten faster to improve his speed from average to above average.

11. Andrew Gibson, RHD, 19 (Oshawa Generals)

The final cut (prospect No. 101 if you will) for my 2023 draft board, Gibson’s a player I’ve actually had a lot of time for despite leaving him off. He was a projected second-round pick before the Red Wings took him there (if they didn’t, other teams were prepared to). He impressed on a Canadian blue line that otherwise struggled at U18 Worlds in Switzerland two springs ago and has developed quickly into one of the OHL’s top two-way, shutdown defensemen over the last couple of years. By all accounts, he was also a standout in his first rookie tournament with the Predators in September as well. This year, though the production still doesn’t look like future NHLer production, he has played hard minutes for the Soo, Team Canada at the World Juniors and now Oshawa following a trade to the contending Gens.

There’s a lot to like. He’s big (6-foot-4, over 200 pounds). He’s a strong athlete who shoots right, skates and moves well and has learned to play to command his ice defensively against the rush and in his own zone with his length and physicality (he looks like a pro). He drove results on a poor Soo team two years ago as a rookie after playing his 16-year-old season in the Jr. A NOJHL (where he led the league’s defensemen in points and won its defenseman of the year award) and the last two years. He can involve himself at both ends and while his play with the puck can simplify under pressure, he has shown he can move pucks and get his shots through (he’s got some instincts on activations and his puck play is fine even if it’s not a strength) and has just continued to take steps. I wrote last year that “I won’t be surprised if he surprises some people and puts himself in the mix for the 2025 Canadian World Junior team” and that’s exactly what he did.

Gibson looks like a man, is reliable and trustworthy, can penalty kill, can kill plays and play physically. He’s a really strong skater who knows who he is, defends well, has a good stick and can support his partner. He has played prominent minutes in a defensive role and projects as a big, strong right-shot who could someday be a third-pairing PKer type or No. 7-8.

12. Ozzy Wiesblatt, RW, 22 (Milwaukee Admirals)

Wiesblatt no longer profiles as a first-round pick, is the lowest-ranked one here and wasn’t one for me pre-draft, but he is a well-rounded three-zone player with some redeeming qualities and deserves at least a mention. His counting stats weren’t there through his first two seasons in San Jose with the Barracuda, raising concerns about his production (he played pretty limited minutes with the Barracuda too) but he immediately looked more like himself after the trade last year when he joined the Admirals and has built on that with a decent first full season in the organization this year, which included his first two NHL games. He was also the most productive forward on one of the WHL’s worst teams in his final season in junior and has some qualities. At 5-foot-10 it becomes harder to make it as a depth player when the scoring isn’t there though, even if your game is rounded. Wiesblatt is fairly strong for his size and can keep plays alive with a low center of gravity and enough soft-area skill to play through checks and escape pressure with control in tight spaces. He works hard and plays an honest game. His average-to-decent skill level includes a quick release and a heady style that allows him to play with a variety of linemates and alter his game to them. My concern is that he lacks dynamism, which will limit him as a complementary player on an NHL line in a very best-case scenario. He’s still got a chance to become an NHL player, but I don’t expect that player will be an impact one — or be a full-time NHLer before his mid-20s in all likelihood. He’s a likable player and kid, though, and that can take you a long way.

13. Aiden Fink, RW, 20 (Penn State University)

A two-time AJHL champion and one-time scoring champion and MVP, Fink was prolific at the Jr. A level in his draft year, registering 49 goals and 110 points in 69 regular-season and playoff games, while also having played his way onto the World Jr. A Challenge all-star team with 12 points in six games for Canada West — which combined to earn him a seventh-round selection despite a tricky makeup. That production hasn’t slowed down at Penn State either, continuing to make him a source of intrigue and a challenging projection. Fink had a point-per-game freshman year, leading Penn State in goals (15) and points (34) in 34 games. This season, he has been one of the most productive players in college hockey as a sophomore as well, playing way above a point per game, strengthening his statistical profile and continuing to prove that he can make his unique game/frame/style work.

He’s a very small (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) but extremely talented player with high-end puck skills, craftiness in possession, an NHL release and a great sense of spacing and timing inside the offensive zone. His skating is also awkward, with bent ankles that ride his inside edges. But he’s also got fairly quick feet and can get around the ice with his hurried skating. He’s going to need time to get stronger (he lost his fair share of battles even in the AJHL and while he’s up an inch at Penn State and has played hard for them, he still has some limitations defensively) but Penn State will afford him that. I liked him as a mid-round swing at the draft and liked him even better where the Predators took him (No. 218) with one of the final picks of the draft. He may not make it or might top out as a AAAA guy who is highly productive in the AHL, but I think he might surprise some people with how far he goes as well. This felt like the appropriate slotting in the Preds pool.

14. Ryan Ufko, RHD, 21 (Milwaukee Admirals)

Don’t let the height (5-foot-10) fool you. Ufko plays bigger than he looks, with a sturdy 180-or-so-pound frame and a willingness to engage in bumps/physical engagements. That helped him make the jump to the college level relatively easily as a freshman (when he finished third on UMass in scoring and held his own defensively as a freshman who was asked to do a lot) and it helped him continue to impact play at both ends and produce as a sophomore and junior (the latter as UMass’ captain) despite having to share offensive opportunities he would have gotten elsewhere with Hurricanes top prospect and top offensive defenseman Scott Morrow. They also helped him make the jump to the pro level and continue to look like himself against bigger, stronger competition in the AHL. He was great right out of college last year and while his numbers don’t look it this year, he has played to respectable results in big minutes (over 21 per game) for the Admirals in his first full year of pro this season.

Ufko’s smarts (his planning, reads, anticipation and awareness) define him and complement his competitiveness. While he’s not a super dynamic on-puck player or flashy skater despite his strong overall statistical track record, he’s smart, decently talented and effective. His puck-moving starts with the quick decisions he makes to advance play up ice, his efficient puck management and how fast he plays without being super fast himself. He steers and influences play through calculated aggression, knowing when to skate it and when to pass, an understanding of spacing inside the offensive zone and heady little plays under pressure or along the boards. He’s consistently involved at both ends and has proven he can drive results and compete across the USHL, NCAA and now AHL levels with the best in his age group. I think there’s a chance he tops out as a good AHL defender and call-up option but those who know him will say you shouldn’t count him out playing a few hundred games or becoming a full-timer in his mid-20s.

15. Miguel Marques, RW, 18 (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Marques is a shifty player who really came into his own last season — at least offensively — as Lethbridge’s leading scorer. I thought he had a chance to become a 90-point guy in the WHL this year, though, and his production has plateaued due to some practical issues he has actually putting the tools in his game to their best use. Marques is an elusive, playmaking, crafty handler and distributor who functions as the primary carrier on his lines and has a way of pulling opposing players in and then making plays to the weak side of coverage. And while he’s a smaller winger (5-foot-10/11, about 180 pounds), he’s got some sneaky strength and can play hard off the puck and finish his checks. He can make plays at speed or really slow the game down to his liking. He’s got slippery one-on-one skill but can also attack right at defenders. There’s deception and patience to his game. He doesn’t have the premiums of high-end skating (even though he plays with tempo) or size, though, and his play selection can frustrate at times. He’s an entertaining player to watch at the junior level when he’s at his best, though.

The Tiers

As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player — or group of players — to the next.

The Predators’ pool is divided into three tiers: 1-7, 8-9, 10-15+.

Considered but not ranked were competitive Red Deer Rebels forward Kalan Lind, goalies Jakub Milota and Magnus Chrona, 2025 World Juniors players Joey Willis (USA) and Viggo Gustafsson (Sweden), 2024 World Juniors player Kasper Kulonummi (Finland), UMass forward Cole O’Hara and signed pro defensemen Jeremy Hanzel and Jack Matier (I could see the latter playing games as a No. 7-8 eventually).

(Photo of Tanner Molendyk: Danny Murphy / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)