Nashville Predators fans will finally get to see one of last season's surprise standouts as Juuso Pärssinen will see his first preseason action at the Gold Star Showcase tonight.
Nashville Predators fans will finally get to see one of last season's surprise standouts as Juuso Pärssinen will see his first preseason action at the Gold Star Showcase tonight.
After missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-2014 season, the Nashville Predators have undergone big changes this offseason. With a new general manager and head coach, core players moving on, and several big free agent signings, expectations for the Predators 2023-24 season are significantly tempered as the team embraces a reset. One of the bright spots in an offseason of uncertainty was the promise of a handful of young players who stepped in and stepped up at the end of last season after veterans went down with injuries.
One of those young standouts last season was Juuso Pärssinen. A seventh round draft pick in 2019, Pärssinen made his NHL debut on November 12 and scored his first career goal the same night. Pärssinen went on to play 45 games for Nashville scoring six goals and 25 points. An injury in late February sidelined the Finnish forward, but he was able to return in April for the final three games of the regular season. On April 13, Pärssinen scored what had to be the goal of the season for the Predators with an overtime between the legs shot to secure a win over the Minnesota Wild.
Excitement about Pärssinen has been high this offseason, but unfortunately the 22-year-old has been sidelined at training camp with a lower body injury. tonight fans will finally get a look at Pärssinen for the first time this preseason. Predators assistant GM Scott Nichol said today on 102.5 The Game that Pärssinen will play tonight in the Gold Star Showcase.
For a late round pick, Pärssinen has shown a highly skilled, well rounded game. He brings a strong physical presence, finds the open play, and is happy to clean up any greasy goals in front of the net. Exactly where Pärssinen will slot into the lineup tonight remains to be seen. At the end of last season, Pärssinen played with Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin. Tonight's intrasquad game means Andrew Brunette may not have the trio together in Pärssinen's return to the ice.
Pärssinen and the Predators will take the ice tonight at F & M Bank Arena in Clarksville at 7:00 pm CT for the Gold Star Showcase benefiting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. The game will be streamed live at www.nashvillepredators.com and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.
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