Bleyl, Puglisi Take Childhood Friendship From Upstate New York to Preds Development Camp

As Tommy Bleyl stated multiple times throughout Predators Development Camp, the duo is back together. 

The pair Nashville’s 31st overall pick in last weekend’s NHL Draft is referring to includes him and fellow Predators draftee, Charlie Puglisi. 

The two go way back - try just three years of age when they first met - having grown up in Glenville, N.Y. about 30 minutes outside of Albany. 

Bleyl and Puglisi have been skating and playing hockey together for as long as they can remember. So, perhaps it was only fitting that the Predators selected them both in the 2026 Draft - Bleyl in the first round at No. 31, and Puglisi in the seventh round at No. 202 overall. 

On Friday night of the Draft, it was Puglisi who was fired up to see his childhood friend’s name called. Less than 24 hours later, the roles were reversed. 

“It was so cool,” Bleyl said. “I freaked out a little bit when I saw his name go. I immediately texted my family group chat, and I was like, ‘Charlie just went in the Draft,’ because I saw his name and I was really happy. But then when I looked left and saw the Predators logo [next to his name], and I was like 10 times happier… I’m really happy for him, and now that we're part of the same organization; it's kind of like we were a duo growing up, and now we're going to become a duo again.”

“I was just kind of sitting on the couch looking at my phone, and then my mom kind of jumped up and yelled my name, and I saw my name on the TV,” Puglisi, who wasn’t sure if he’d be selected by a team at all, said. “I thought it was great, and then I saw it was Nashville, the same place Bleyl got drafted to in the first round, so I was super happy we could be here together.”

While they hail from the same town in upstate New York, the two have taken different paths in recent years. 

After both spent time playing for the Mid Fairfield Rangers organization in Connecticut - including a stint that saw Puglisi coached by NHL legend, and now Montreal Canadiens Head Coach, Martin St. Louis - in their early teenage years, the duo was separate for a time. 

Bleyl eventually ended up playing for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL last season, and all he did was earn CHL Rookie of the Year honors after establishing a QMJHL record for points by a first-year defenseman with 81. 

Meanwhile, Puglisi recorded 76 points (26g-50a) in just 35 games with the Winchendon School in Massachusetts, numbers that earned him New England Hockey Journal Prep School Player of the Year accolades. 

The Predators understandably took notice of both players, and while Bleyl may have been pleasantly surprised to see his friend join him, he certainly wasn’t shocked that an NHL team called Puglisi’s name. 

“We grew up kind of similar level skaters, and he’s an excellent skater,” Bleyl said of Puglisi. “He’s really good at making adjustments in his game to be really effective at his level. He ended off the season around two points per game or something like that, which is exceptional for prep. I mean, it's preps, it's a really high level, so I think that he has a really well-rounded game.”

Bleyl, who was regarded as one of the best skaters in the entire Draft, is elite in his own right. 

He was also named the QMJHL’s Defenseman of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year while helping to lead Moncton to the league’s championship series, pacing the QMJHL in assists (22) and finishing third in points (28) in the postseason.

“I’ve got to give pretty much all the credit to my teammates,” Bleyl said of his success in Moncton. “I mean, we were making a ton of high-level plays and everything, and our power play was electric, so I’ve got to give a lot of the credit to them… I’m not going to say I didn't do anything, but a lot of those points I can thank them greatly for. But it was a really successful season. I mean, as a team and as an individual, the opportunity was there as well, and that’s a huge part of it.”

Bleyl’s efforts helped him skyrocket up the NHL Draft board, enough so that the Preds traded up to select him before the first round came to a close. He’s impressed throughout Development Camp, and Bleyl figures to be one of Nashville’s top prospects in the near future. 

“The foundation that he has with his skating – it’s the agility and the escapeability, probably even more so than the flat speed,” Preds Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty said of Bleyl. “He’s got great edges. In the highlights you see, it’s him carrying the puck up the ice and dodging checkers. He’s never going to be the biggest guy, but that being said, defensively he’s very sound as well with his positioning and his stick. He’s a talented but efficient player.”

The future is bright for Puglisi as well, and following a rather successful prep school career, the Preds are looking forward to seeing his game grow at higher levels. 

“He's an up-and-coming kid who is going to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers next year and then going on to college at Cornell,” Predators Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan said of Puglisi. “He’s really fast, drives the net and can play center and wing. We like his motor and his skills.”

Bleyl is committed to attend Michigan State University in the fall, while Puglisi will head to the OHL, another season apart for the two friends who spend as much time as possible together during the summertime. 

But if their recent NHL Draft fortunes are any indication, they may one day find themselves sharing a locker room again in Nashville - and not just at Development Camp. 

“There's a little bit of competitive spirit there between us,” Bleyl said. “Our parents are friends, and we're kind of family friends with them. We do pretty much everything together locally. We still skate together and everything. I consider him kind of like a brother to me. We grew up playing together all the time, so him being here and everything, it's super exciting. I mean, it's kind of like the old duo is back together in a way.”