Predators Influence Shows in High School Hockey Coaches, Players

The influence Nashville's top hockey team has had on youth and scholastic programs across the region is clear, and one look behind the benches of a high school matchup on Wednesday night will serve as another classic example.
In fact, if it weren't for the Predators, the head coaches of Father Ryan and Montgomery Bell Academy wouldn't have even found their way to Music City in the first place, let alone taken positions shaping the next generation of players in Middle Tennessee.
Former Predators winger J-P Dumont, who skated in Nashville for the final five seasons of his NHL career, is now in charge of the MBA Big Red. On the other side of the ice, Steven Henry - whose father, Sean, serves as the president and CEO of the Predators and Bridgestone Arena - calls the shots for the Irish.

There will be added Preds flair to Wednesday's contest between the two at Ford Ice Center Bellevue, as the game will be streamed on @PredsNHL social media by broadcasters Willy Daunic and Chris Mason and broadcast on 102.5 The Game by Pete Weber and Hal Gill.
"For our team, especially this year for the seniors who have missed out on a lot of the normal, fun, exciting things that come with senior year, for them to be able to be put on a stage like this and celebrate hockey is a pretty exciting opportunity for them," Henry said. "It'll draw a lot of attention to what's happening at the high school level. Over the years, the level of competition has gotten so much better, and something like this is really going to shed a light on that, so we're excited."
Henry knows better than most how the high school hockey scene has evolved over time in Nashville. He arrived in Nashville as a teenager and began his freshman year at Father Ryan after making the move with his family from Tampa, Florida. Henry joined the hockey team with the Irish, and following a four-year stint as a player, he became an assistant coach with the JV squad while attending Belmont University.
After five seasons at the JV level, including one as head coach, Henry was invited to take the top job at the varsity level with the Irish this season, an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
"The program means a lot to me," Henry said. "The first group of friends that I made when I moved to town came through hockey, so the program has always held a special place in my heart. To be able to come in and lead, is special, particularly to me because of all that history. I think it's good to have someone in there who understands the history of the program but also has a vision for where we want to take it. That's what is most exciting for me."

Henry, who also has former Predators forward Cody Hodgson assisting him behind the bench, is guiding the Irish through what he calls a "transition year" after losing the top two scorers in program history and 11 total seniors from the previous campaign. That challenge, combined with the obstacles provided by the pandemic, has given Henry more experience than he ever could have imagined right from the start - but that's not a bad thing.
"As a coaching staff, we like what we see more and more every game," Henry said. "We have a young group, so we're really excited about their development, and I think in the next couple years we're going to be a really competitive team again."
Dumont's squad was already a top team in the Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey League when he took over as head coach prior to the start of this season, and the former NHLer has guided MBA to a perfect record through 10 games thus far.
In addition to his duties with the Big Red, Dumont is also involved with the Junior Preds organization as a program director and coach of the 15U AAA team, and he's also coaching with the Total Package Hockey Center of Excellence program.
For someone who is used to playing an 82-game schedule in the NHL, Dumont is arguably busier than he's ever been, but his impact on hockey in Nashville is now even greater than when he used to sport the Preds logo at Bridgestone Arena.
"I'm pretty busy, and I love it," Dumont said. "It's hockey, so it's fun, and as long as it's going to be fun, I'm really enjoying what I'm doing."

Once his NHL playing days were over following the 2010-11 season, just a few years removed from a career-high 29 goals and 72 points with the Preds in 2007-08, it wasn't long before Dumont found his way to youth hockey coach. The first gig was done as a favor when Dumont took over for a coach who wasn't able to finish a season, and once parents and players started asking him to come back, he realized he had found the next step following a successful career.
"Hockey is a big part of my life," Dumont said. "I really enjoy pretty much everything about hockey, and it's something that it's in my veins. I would play every day if I could. It's fun for me, and I don't see it as a job, I just feel like it's so much fun, so I'm definitely happy with what it is right now."
Dumont credits the rest of the coaching staff at MBA with a smooth transition to start the season, and he's tried to instill the lessons he learned as a professional to his players, some of whom he has coached previously in the Jr. Preds organization. Whatever he's doing is working for the Big Red, but it's not just his own club where Dumont has seen improvement.
As someone who comes from hockey-crazed Canada, and has lived in Nashville for almost 15 years, Dumont has witnessed firsthand not only how the Predators have grown, but also the effect they've had on just about every young hockey player in the state of Tennessee and beyond.

"The difference now than when I got here is that the kids are more committed now and more involved with hockey," Dumont said. "The success of the Preds and going to the Stanley Cup Final, kids saw that and were like, 'Man, I want to be part of this.' Hockey's getting bigger and bigger, and when you talk about high school, it's going to get the same way as well. Every team is trending in the right direction."
Henry saw that trajectory as a player, and now he's witnessing it first hand all over again. He estimates there were 25 players in the Father Ryan program when he was a teen, and now they're up to 42 participants, including four girls - and the numbers are only increasing.
There's a reason why just about every youth team in Nashville has a No. 35 or 59 on their roster, and the boys and girls who will hit the ice Wednesday are just one more instance of what the Predators have done for the sport in the Volunteer State.
"You're seeing people who haven't played hockey their entire lives, their parents have never played hockey, and they're not just coming out for the team, but are competing at the highest level," Henry said. "The end goal, really, is to develop these young men and women and prepare them for the next level, not just in hockey, but in life."