Ads GM Scott Nichol Talks Developing Next Generation of Preds Players

One of the most important people in the Predators organization is Assistant General Manager, Director of Player Development and Milwaukee Admirals GM Scott Nichol.
"There's a lot of juggling," Nichol said. "A lot of moving parts, but credit to our organization. David Poile has fantastic communication with all the players and staff and so far it's been fun."
Speaking on Episode 183 of the Predators Official Podcast, Nichol spoke about his own experiences playing in the League and how they shaped his future in the front office.

Over 19 years of playing professional hockey, Nichol skated with six different NHL clubs - Nashville, St. Louis, Buffalo, Calgary, Chicago and San Jose - and even lifted a Calder Cup with the AHL's Rochester Americans.
"I always tell these guys that you never want to burn a bridge because the hockey community is so small," Nichol said. "It's just funny how life just kind of turns and you run into Barry] Trotz and [Brent] Peterson and Pete Rogers. Rogers was my equipment manager in Rochester when I first got there so Pete and I go back 20-plus years."
But Nichol, drafted by the Sabres in the now non-existent 11th round of the 1993 NHL Draft, faced his share of adversity.
At 5-foot-8, Nichol needed to work even harder to establish himself and his role on the ice.
But the challenges gave the player development director an edge in turning hidden gems like the undrafted Tanner Jeannot or the seventh-round pick Juuso Parssinen into NHL-caliber players.
"It's why I put our player development group together with Sebastien Bordeleau, Nathan Gerbe and Rob Scuderi, because everybody touches all different types of bases," Nichol said. "Some have won a Stanley Cup, some have been free agents, Gerbe is even smaller than I am and overcame a lot of adversity as well. So, I love our player development group, but it's easy though. It's easy to communicate with these kids."
His own experiences of being called up and sent back down have also helped Nichol deliver the tough news to younger players working to either break into the League or keep their spots in the lineup, with forward Philip Tomasino perhaps serving as the most recent example.
"Those are tough conversations because he was up all year," Nichol said. "It's been hard for him, but he's also playing with a lot of his peers now and they can kind of grow together. He's played 12 games with six goals and four assists, so it's good. He's touching the puck. And you could tell as he got more comfortable, he's making plays and hanging onto the puck more."
Whenever Tomasino might get the call back up to Nashville, Nichol knows he'll be an even better player than he was before.
You can listen to Nichol's full interview on Episode 183 of the Predators Official Podcast, hosted by Darren McFarland and Kara Hammer, by
[clicking here
.