NHL Draft week is upon us, and the Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators]will be staying busy, owning nine picks in this year's draft. Monday, the NHL announced [https://media.nhl.com/public/news/19101]where the Predators will be selecting. Their first pick, which was earned in the NHL Draft lottery in May [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-to-pick-at-no-5-in-2024-nhl-draft-order], will be fifth overall. It's the highest the Predators have selected since 2013 when they picked defenseman Seth Jones fourth overall. The eight other picks are as follows: 23rd (first round), 26th (first round), 35th (second round), 55th (second round), 67th (third round), 131st (fifth round), 163rd (sixth round) and 182nd (sixth round). This is the most the Predators have picked in a draft since the 2023 Draft, which they hosted, where they had 11 picks. The three picks in the first round are the most in franchise history. Last year, Nashville had eight picks in the draft and selected center Yegor Surin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/players/yegor-surin-s-stand-out-performance-in-khl-playoffs-bodes-well-for-predators-future]with the 22nd overall pick. Surin was promoted from Yaroslavl Lokomotiv's junior team to their KHL team and won the Gagarin Cup. Jones, who was the Predators' last top-five pick, won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/news/six-panthers-and-oilers-players-with-something-to-prove-in-the-stanley-cup-final] this season. He spent two and a half seasons with the Predators before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2015-16 season. He'd spend six seasons in Columbus before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021. Jones was in Chicago for three and a half seasons before getting traded to the Panthers this year. Boston College center James Hagens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/players/3-nhl-draft-prospects-predators-could-select-with-fifth-overall-pick]is one of the popular names being thrown around as to who the Predators will select with their fifth overall pick. Hagens had 37 points in 37 games with the Golden Eagles and won the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship with Team USA, scoring nine points in seven games. Predators general manager Barry Trotz is expected to address the media ahead of Friday's draft on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The NHL Draft will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. EST from Los Angeles.
