The Nashville Predators prospects wrapped up the Southeast Rookie Showcase with an 0-3 finish. What are the takeaways and which rookies need to continue showing off and who needs to step up as training camp begins this week?
The Nashville Predators prospects wrapped up the Southeast Rookie Showcase with an 0-3 finish. What are the takeaways and which rookies need to continue showing off and who needs to step up as training camp begins this week?
With the Southeast Rookie Showcase wrapping up yesterday, the Predators prospects get a brief rest before taking the ice once again at the first practice of the 2023 training camp on Thursday morning. Nashville went 0-3 against the prospects from Carolina, Florida, and Tampa Bay, but Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor doesn't take too much from the showcase record.
"I think you've got to take it for what it is," Taylor said after the Predators loss Monday.
"If we win all three games are we thinking holy cow are we great? Well, we lost all three and we aren't thinking we're terrible."
Nashville kept it close in each of the games, but one area that did give the Predators trouble this weekend was penalties.
"It's hard when you chase in the penalty battle and you're killing so much," Taylor continued. "We killed 16 power plays in three games. That's going to put you behind the eight ball."
The importance of the Rookie Showcase isn't about the wins and losses, but the opportunity it provides the young players to prepare for training camp and a new season.
"They learned some systems. They tried hard. They're going to get a leg up, and now they've got to get ready for main camp," Taylor said.
While the team came home without a win, one player who showed up for Nashville in his game minutes over the weekend was Joakim Kemell. Kemell scored two goals in the first game and generated plenty of offensive chances while on the ice this weekend. Kemell played a total of 28 regular and postseason games for the Milwaukee Admirals at the end of last season. The 19-year-old Finnish forward scored eight goals in his 14 playoff games for the Ads and picked up in rookie camp right where he left off in early June.
One player who will look to step up at training camp? Egor Afanasyev. The 2019 second round pick for the Predators played 17 NHL games for Nashville last season as veterans went down with injuries late in the season. Although he only scored one goal in gold, Afanasyev generated offensive chances for the Predators and showed he is hungry for more NHL opportunities. Likely because of his experience in Nashville and Milwaukee, he was a healthy scratch for the second game of the showcase to allow less familiar players to get the time on ice. When Afanasyev hits training camp, he will need to be ready to finish on his shots and play with physicality along the boards.
The rookie showcase results weren't what the team wanted, but the weekend gave the young prospects opportunities to build on for the rest of preseason. Taylor highlighted that with the team after Monday's game.
"Part of the messaging today was if they have a plan for you to play one exhibition game, try to earn two or if you're slated for two, try to earn another game," Taylor said. "These young guys — you always want to make their runway as long as possible to give them the most extended chance to show their talents to make an impact at an NHL camp."
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