Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announces Brady Martin is selected as the fifth overall pick to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images It wasn’t a regular-season game, or even a pre-season contest with veterans present, but a win is a win. The Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators]prospects played their first of three games in four days in the NHL Prospect Tournament Friday afternoon and came away with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning]prospects at AdventHealth Center Ice in Tampa. It was an all-around team effort, as Joakim Kemell, Andrew Gibson and Brady Martin each tallied a goal in the victory for the Preds, who hosted last year’s prospect showcase. Martin also picked up an assist for two points on the evening. Ethan Haider started in net for Nashville before giving way to Jakub Milota just over halfway through the game. Each netminder only gave up one goal in the victory. As expected, both teams were a bit rusty through the first several minutes. After Tampa Bay scored first on the man advantage in the opening period, Martin got the puck to Kemell at the top of the right circle. The winger from Finland didn’t miss, going top-shelf to tie the game 1-1. “I thought a lot of guys played well, and you can see some of the younger guys were a little nervous in the first but then settled in,” Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor told reporters after the game. “The nice part was, as the game went on, we started sticking together a little better, just supporting each other and cheering and activating on the bench.” After Martin was prevented from completing a breakaway, the fifth overall draft pick was awarded a penalty shot. He went wide to the right before cutting back and nailing a shot from the slot to the low blocker side for a 2-1 Preds lead. That lead held up after two periods. Martin, who helped Team Canada defeat the U.S. in the World Junior Showcase [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/community/latest-news/predators-prospect-brady-martin-helps-canada-to-win-over-united-states-in-wjss-finale]last month, continues to show a maturity beyond his years. “I was kind of just coming in, and I was going to deke, but then the ice was kind of bad, so I was like, I'll just shoot it,” Martin said of his penalty shot. “And kind of just eyeballed it, I guess.” The Lightning tied the game midway through the final period, but Gibson fired a shot from the right point that found its way through traffic and tickled the twine for what proved to be the winning goal. The Preds held off a late push by Tampa including a penalty kill to earn the win and start off the prospect tournament on a high note. “The guys really want to win,” Taylor said. “When you're in these scenarios, you want to do well. The guys bond together. They've been together for a while through drafts and development camps and the rest of it. So, it's a fun place to coach, and there's not a lot of pressure to it. We just want to enjoy and make sure everybody gets an opportunity.” The Predators will play their second game of the tournament Saturday afternoon against the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes]. Puck drop is slated for 1 Pm CT, and the game will be streamed live at NashvillePredators.com. The Hockey News Store The Hockey News Store Online store to purchase subscriptions, single issues, special issues and products from The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.store/?_gl=1*17geuxi*_ga*MTIwMzQ5NjgyNS4xNzUwNzI0NDQz*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NTc2MTgwNTIkbzE3OSRnMSR0MTc1NzYxODQ3NCRqNjAkbDAkaDA.]
