As far as rookies go, Magnus Chrona has quite a bit of experience under his belt. The 23-year-old goaltender, who was acquired by the Nashville Predators in the Aug. 23 trade that sent former first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks, is participating in his first Predators rookie camp this week. He certainly stands out – not only because of his hulking, 6-foot-6 frame or his teal goalie mask – but because of the unique path that led him to Nashville. For starters, Chrona is the only player at this year's rookie camp with NHL experience. He made his NHL debut with San Jose on Nov. 4, 2023, and went on to play in eight more games for the Sharks last season. He appeared in a combined 42 games at the NHL, AHL and ECHL levels for the Sharks organization last season. The bulk of his playing time came with San Jose of the AHL, where he went 6-17-6 with a 3.49 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 31 games for the Barracuda. Originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Chrona was traded to San Jose in 2021. Prior to turning pro, the Skellefteå, Sweden, native enjoyed a four-year career at the University of Denver, where he won back-to-back NCHC regular-season titles and was named the league’s Goaltender of the Year in 2022-23. Suffice it to say, Chrona's path to Nashville hasn't been a direct one, but he has gained plenty of perspective along the way. As such, the magnitude of the opportunity to work closely with Predators goaltending director Mitch Korn, Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne and esteemed goalie coaches Ben Vanderklok and Jason Baron is not lost on him. Nashville Predators goaltending prospect Magnus Chrona speaks to the media on Day 1 of Rookie Camp. “The first thing I noticed about them was their love for the game,” Chrona said following Wednesday's practice. “Everything is about hockey, and it’s always nice to meet new people. That's how you see how big the perspective is and how big the goalie world is. It's kind of hard from the outside, until you meet all these new individuals that all have different perspectives on the game and how it should be played." Chrona is excited not only to learn from Nashville's coaching staff, but also to develop and play alongside skilled NHL prospects in the Predators' system. “That excites me at every single level, whether it's the NCAA, AHL or NHL,” Chrona said. “It's always exciting playing with really high-talent players and I think it brings that extra glimpse into what the future can hold. When you're at the college level, you see that you can kind of evolve with [those players] to grow into a professional hockey player, and then when you actually get to the professional level, you can grow together as a group, but also as individuals.” Chrona will continue to see playing time throughout the week as Predators host the Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers prospect squads during the 2024 NHL Rookie Showcase at Ford Ice Center Bellevue. The Predators prospects fell to Florida in their first game of the showcase on Friday, and they will face Tampa Bay Saturday at 5 p.m. CT and Carolina Monday at 1 p.m. CT. Nashville's roster for the tournament can be found here [https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/vjnt27qqvyfkle6dviux.pdf].
