The Young and the Veterans: Four Predators Prospects to Watch in 2023-24
The Predators' reset may be focusing on the youth, but there are talented players of all ages on this 2023-24 Predators' roster.
The Young and the Veterans: Four Predators Prospects to Watch in 2023-24Age is just a number, unless you are measuring in dog or hockey years. "Old" is a relative term when comparing a 35 year old doctor to a 35 year old professional hockey player. Talent, however, isn't measured simply by age, and the 2023-24 season for the Nashville Predators will be an example of that. This is a team advertising a youth movement while also embracing a strong veteran presence in an attempt to get back to postseason play as quickly as possible.
20 and Under - The Baby Preds
The Predators are focusing on developing young players, and there is an intriguing crop of youth in the development system to watch. It isn't likely Nashville will see all three of these players in gold this season, but what Joakim Kemell, Reid Schaefer, Fedor Svechkov, and Zachary L'Heureux do will be worth keeping an eye on.
An 20 player that could potentially crack the roster at some point this season is Joakim Kemell. The Predators drafted the Finnish winger with the 17th overall pick in 2022 - a gift that Nashville probably didn't think would still be available at pick 17.
Kemell played 43 games for JYP in Finland last season and scored 12 goals and 15 points before joining the Milwaukee Admirals. The winger played 14 games and scored six goals and 13 points at the end of the AHL regular season and contributed eight goals and ten points in the Admirals' postseason run. His time in Milwaukee game Predators fans a glimpse of Kemell's potential, and it was hard not to like his game. It might be a stretch to think he would make the roster out of training camp, but Kemell could be a player who steps in the lineup if the Preds have injuries that deplete a more experienced roster.
Two other young prospects who will definitely make conversation if not the roster at some point this season are Reid Schaefer and Fedor Svechkov. Predators fans haven't seen much of either player. Schaefer was acquired in the Mattias Ekholm trade with the Edmonton Oilers and combines offensive talent with a big hockey physique. The 6-foot-4 winger had a solid development camp in Nashville and could be a "sooner rather than later" addition to the Nashville lineup when compared to other under 20 prospects.
Nashville will get its first look at Russian prospect Fedor Svechkov at rookie camp. Svechkov has yet to participate in a development camp with the Predators organization but has arrived in the U.S. and will spend the summer training in Middle Tennessee. Svechkov is still a bit of an unknown prospect quantity. An impressive two way playmaking reputation precedes him, and fans are waiting to see for themselves what he brings to the ice. Svechkov will need time and experience playing North American hockey this season, but he will be one young player generating buzz.
After an up and down year with the Halifax Mooseheads, forward Zachary L'Heureux will join the Milwaukee Admirals in the fall. L'Heureux's talent has at times been overshadowed by his over the top edginess. Never one to shy away from contact and always one to antagonize opponents, L'Heureux is ready for a new opportunity in the AHL next season.
A suspension in February - his ninth in his four year QMJHL career - interrupted a solid season, but Nashville Predators Assistant GM Scott Nichol believes L'Heureux's struggles when he returned provided a valuable learning experience.
"He came back and it was hard for him to catch a moving train," Nichol said. "He probably thought he could just pick up where he left off. But he struggled which was a really good learning experience for him."
The lessons L'Heureux has hopefully garnered from his roller coaster QMJHL career will be put to the test next season as he turns pro. What comes next for L'Heureux remains to be seen, but Nichol feels the 20 year old is ready for the next step.
"It is absolutely time for him to turn pro," Nichol said. "If it's here or in Milwaukee, it's time for him to play against men and see where he's at."