Rookies to Watch at Showcase: Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

One of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL, 21-year-old Askarov played last season with the Milwaukee Admirals splitting start with Devin Cooley but quickly taking over the starting job. In his 48 regular season games, the Russian goaltender earned a .911 save percentage and started 12 postseason games in net helping the Admirals get to the AHL Western Conference Finals. 

Askarov’s exuberant antics — like laying the net down after a shutout or bench pressing the crossbar after a shootout win— shouldn’t be mistaken for a laid back style of play. The NHL’s highest drafted Russian goaltender is aggressive in net and takes risks that pay off more often than not.

Evangelista just barely qualifies as a rookie having played 24 NHL games last season. Intended to be a weekend call up, Evangelista’s playmaking abilities and nearly seamless transition to the NHL pace kept him in Nashville through the end of the season.

Evangelista scored seven goals in his 24 NHL games before heading to Milwaukee and scoring four goals and 15 points in 16 AHL postseason games. He will be competing to make the Predators’ roster out of camp and could potentially earn a top six spot with a strong performance at the showcase and in training camp.

Nashville drafted the Finnish winger 17th overall in the 2022 draft, and he is one of the top prospects in the Predators system. After finishing his 2022-23 season in Finland, the 19-year-old joined the Milwaukee Admirals at the end of the regular season. In his 28 regular and postseason AHL games, Kemell scored 14 goals and 23 points. Kemell is a young player who could compete for a roster spot on a resetting Predators team or be an early call up if an opportunity opens up in Nashville during the season.

Diandra Loux from The Hockey News - Tampa Bay Lightning shares her three rookies to watch at the Southeast Rookie Showcase this weekend. 

There really isn’t a ton of goalie conversation in Tampa. With Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, the Lightning are set for the foreseeable future. However, they would love to lock down a solid backup who can take on a portion of the workload, especially leading up to the playoffs. For that reason alone, I’m including Hugo Alnefelt in my list of players to watch.

Alnefelt is a Swedish goaltender and third round pick from the 2019 draft. He’s a solid prospect who has really started to find his stride in net for the Syracuse Crunch.

Jack Thompson is right on track. He’s coming off a solid rookie season with Syracuse and should definitely be a name to watch for Lightning fans moving forward.

Thompson can put up points from the blue line, but he’s also a responsible player in his own end. That’s always going to be important with the Tampa Bay Lightning. His versatility adds to his value. Whatever he’s asked to do with the puck, he can do seamlessly.

And if you’re into knowing who prospects model their game after, Thompson has said that playing alongside Darren Raddysh helped him understand what it takes to be successful in the AHL and earn a promotion to the NHL. I think we’ll see him crack a roster spot sooner rather than later.

Lucas Edmonds had a consistent rookie year in Syracuse with 27 points in 49 games. The Lightning had him on their radar for a few seasons, but Edmonds wasn’t initially drafted because they weren’t satisfied with his results in Sweden.

He eventually played at almost every level in Sweden, earning a spot on the National team. Edmonds spent most of his time on the second line, but he really benefited from playing on the power play. He has consistent shooting abilities, but what stands out most are his puck skills and physicality. He delays, beats a player, spins back around, and then tries again.

For an organization that makes culture a priority, he’s got the personality side down as well. Former director of amateur scouting, Al Murray laid it out by simply by saying “He’s a bolt”.

The Predators and Lightning rookies will face off this afternoon at 3:00 pm CT. The game will be streamed live on the Nashville Predators website. 

What Yaroslav Askarov Learned in His First Season: "You Need to Be You"

Phil Tomasino: Less Uncertainty, More Opportunity This Season

Defensive Questions May Linger This Season for Predators