When he was selected 31st overall by the Nashville Predators on June 26 at the NHL Draft, defenseman Tommy Bleyl thanked two people: those who helped him and those who doubted him.

Throughout his entire life, Bleyl was seen as "undersized." Drafted by the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in 2023 at just 15 years old, Bleyl was listed at 5-foot-9, 141 pounds. 

However, Bleyl had a growth spurt, shooting up three inches and adding on nearly 25 pounds since 2023, giving him the size that most NHL teams had been looking for. 

In his lone season with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL, Bleyl dominated, scoring 81 points off 13 goals and 68 assists in 68 games. The effort didn't go unrecognized, as Bleyl was named QMJHL rookie of the year, defenseman of the year and even CHL Rookie of the Year.  

Now at Predators Developmental Camp, Bleyl has not forgotten the noise that he once had to tune out. 

"It's a huge motivator," Bleyl said about the adversity he has faced. "Proving people wrong is something I've been doing my whole life. I was undersized growing up. So it was always a bit of a struggle. After some growth spurts and everything, the game became a little easier.

"I was able to, you know, use some of the tools I picked up when I was undersized into my game." 

While addressing his critics, Bleyl made sure to amplify the voices of those who helped him throughout his journey, specifically at North American Hockey Systems.

The program, run by Dave Randall, Bleyl spent years elevating and perfecting his skating, an element of his game that helped him become one of the top prospects in this year's draft. 

"We just did like a lot of edge work," Bleyl said. "We didn't really work with pucks at the beginning. We just did a lot of basic skating stuff, and once we got more advanced, we incorporated pucks. It was just a lot of, a lot of grinding, a lot of hours on the ice and it ended up working out." 

Bleyl also talked about jump rope training, implemented by his former coaches, that has added an element of "explosiveness" to his skating. 

His training ahead of the draft and in his junior career has set Bleyl up for success not just this summer, but beyond, as he announced that he'd be heading to Michigan State this fall instead of in 2027.

Bleyl will play alongside fellow Predators prospect Ryker Lee, who had a standout first year with the Spartans, netting 30 points in 35 games in his first season. 

From the push to the pull, Bleyl has used just about everything to give himself the opportunity he has now with the Predators. However, even at a young age, he proved he was different. 

Bleyl confirmed a rumor that was floating around online that he had scored 30 points (29 goals and an assist) in a 30 minute game during his youth hockey days. 

"It was just a small ice game, but it was it was pretty fun for me," Bleyl said.