Hockey is finally heating up in the NHL. Here is what is coming up this month in Smashville.
Despite a noticeable lack of sweater weather in middle Tennessee, the calendar has in fact turned to September bringing hockey fans one step closer to the start of the season. Before the puck drops on October 7 in Prague, Czech Republic to open the 2022-2023 regular season, there will be plenty of preparation for the Preds in the month of September.
Rookie Camp
Rookie Camp is right around the corner. The young guns will take the ice at Centennial Sportsplex on September 14 at 1:00 PM CT and again September 15 at 10:00 AM CT under the watchful eyes of Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor and staff before heading to Raleigh, NC to compete in the 2022 NHL Prospect Showcase. Draftees and free agents taking part in the Rookie Camp include fan favorites Yaroslav Askarov, Luke Evangelista, Egor Afanasyev, and Zachary L'Heureux, and Juuso Parsinnen among others.
The Boys Are Back in Town
The revamped 2022-2023 Predators roster comes together later this month for training camp in Nashville. Although fans got a glimpse of the up and coming players earlier this summer at Development Camp, this will be Nashville's first look at new additions Nino Niederreiter and Ryan McDonaugh and an opportunity for head coach John Hynes to begin piecing together lines and pairings.
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Let the Games (Unofficially) Begin
Nashville will flex their preseason muscles in four late September preseason contests. The Preds will host a double header on Monday, September 26 against the reigning Presidents Trophy winning Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena followed by back to back games (away/home) September 29 and 30 against the Stanley Cup finalist Tampa Bay Lightning.
Find Those Passports
The Predators will close out the month of September packing their bags for international travel as they head to Roman Josi's hometown in Bern, Switzerland for their final preseason preparations. The Preds will then head to Prague, Czech Republic for the NHL Global Series to open the regular season against the San Jose Sharks on October 7.