David Poile’s final pick of his 40-plus year career as a general manager could have simply been a formality.
His last NHL Draft, which just happened to be in his home city, with his first Nashville captain-turned New Jersey Devils GM making the deal to send a seventh-round pick to the Predators — was a perfect conclusion for Poile’s final bit of official hockey business before retiring in the summer of 2023.
So once Poile realized what was happening, he leaned into the microphone at the Predators table from the Draft floor one final time and proclaimed, “For my last pick of all-time, this is the player: Aiden Fink, from Brooks [of the Alberta Junior Hockey League]. Thanks, everybody.”
The odds are against seventh-round picks to begin with.
Just one other player from the seventh round of the 2023 Draft - Emmitt Finnie of the Red Wings - has made his NHL debut. Not a single player from the sixth round of that same year has done so.
But less than three years after Poile called his name, and after signing his three-year entry-level contract with the Preds on Monday, Fink found himself inside Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, sporting No. 18 and skating in the team’s final practice of the 2025-26 season.
“It's been awesome,” Fink said following the session of his three days in Nashville thus far. “Just being in an environment like this, learning new stuff from a bunch of great players, it’s been unbelievable. I'm super excited.”
So are the Predators.
After concluding his collegiate career at Penn State and turning pro last month, the 21-year-old recorded 10 points (3g-7a) in just six games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, including a four-assist performance on April 4.
The 218th overall selection of the 2023 Draft helped lead the Nittany Lions to an appearance in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the winger certainly left his mark on the program with 125 points (48g-77a), tied for third in PSU history, in 104 games over three seasons.
Those experiences left him ready for professional hockey, and after his showing at the AHL level over the past couple of weeks, Fink proved he deserved to at least make a trip to Tennessee.
And while it hasn’t yet been decided if he’ll make his NHL debut in Nashville’s season finale on Thursday night against Anaheim, the experience alone will be more than worth it.
“Just learn,” Fink said of what he wants to get out of this week with the Preds. “I can learn new things at this level. Obviously, this is the dream-come-true level that everyone wants to get to, and when you're a kid, you always imagine yourself here. So, if I can just learn from these older guys, these new guys, develop new things in this last week that we have - I think it’s definitely exciting that I get that opportunity to be here.”
The soft-spoken rookie may stand just 5-foot-10, but Fink’s proven he’s more than capable of creating offense despite his stature. So, what can he bring at the NHL level when the time comes?
“I'm a hard-working player,” Fink said. “I'm always on the puck no matter where it is. I'm always trying to get that puck away. I think I'm speedy, agile, all those things. I think I'm very smart on the ice. I know where everyone is on the ice, and I think those are the things I bring to this team.”
The hope is that those attributes will continue to translate in the sport’s top League, and the Calgary native believes his development at Penn State regarding his strength, as well as his skating, will pay off in due time.
He’s also well aware of the significance he will always hold in Poile’s career, and Fink says he wants to not only make Nashville’s first GM proud, but everyone who has taken a chance on him over the past three years.
He’s done nothing but prove people right so far, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“I'm excited about the future,” Fink said. “Obviously, there’s young guys here, but there's also older guys, and I’m excited just to learn from the old guys and the young guys. I think the future is going to be great for this organization. I think it's in very good hands with everyone in the organization, and I’m excited about the future.”
