Preds Prospects Getting to Work, Taking in Every Moment as Development Camp Begins

Tommy Bleyl hasn’t really stopped pinching himself yet. 

Less than 72 hours after the Predators called his name with the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old defenseman was on the ice in Nashville - along with the rest of his new teammates - for the start of Preds Development Camp. 

That first practice Monday afternoon was preceded by welcome meetings, a walk up and down Music City’s famed Broadway and even seeing his fresh-faced Draft headshot broadcast on the video boards outside of Bridgestone Arena on Saturday evening after arriving into town for the first time. 

“That was crazy,” Bleyl smiled while recalling the moment he and Wyatt Cullen were welcomed to Smashville with full-sized graphics of their Draft photos at the Arena. “And then some of the people, they were like, ‘Is that you on the board?’ And we were like, ‘Yeah, it is.’ And it was really cool. And everybody was super nice.”

That moment might just be a small taste of what’s to come for Bleyl and other NHL hopefuls attending Nashville’s annual Development Camp this week. For most, there’s a long way to go before that dream becomes reality, but Monday’s first practice was very much another step in the process. 

And now that the anticipation of camp has turned into the real thing, there’s plenty to soak in. 

“The biggest thing is to get better, and then after that it's to meet everybody, meet the staff, meet all the other teammates and everything, and I think I've done a pretty good job at that so far,” Bleyl said. “We have a [few] more days left, so I’m just trying to squeeze everything I can out of it.”

“I'm just trying to take it all in,” Cullen said Monday. “I’m trying to take in all the resources, all the coaching staff, all the meetings that we have; I’m just trying to really enjoy my time here and take it all in. That's what I've been doing so far, and it’s been unbelievable.”

Cullen and Bleyl, both picked by the Preds in the first round of last Friday’s Draft in Buffalo, joined the rest of their 2026 Draft class with all eight players selected by Nashville over the weekend in attendance at camp. 

All three of Nashville's first-rounders from 2025 - Brady Martin, Cameron Reid and Ryker Lee - as well as Egor Surin, picked by the Preds in the first round of 2024, are all participating this week as well. 

In total, 31 skaters and six goaltenders are looking to make the most of their opportunity to impress in front of staff from both the Predators and the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals with on-ice sessions and off-ice teachings in the days ahead. 

For someone like Reid, who is attending his second Development Camp after captaining the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup Championship last month, the familiarity is helpful when it comes to a setting such as this. 

“I have a little more experience, but I’m just a little older and can take more in and just go with the flow,” Reid said. “I think just getting your name out there, getting an eye for everyone; [the coaches] can look at you and they can tell themselves, ‘He's a pretty good player, we can use him in the future.’ So, I think that's a big thing for me.”

Aiden Fink, a veteran of Preds Development Camp after being drafted in 2023, is one of just a couple of participants who has gotten that NHL taste. 

Fink was recalled to Nashville last April in the final week of the regular season, and even though he hasn't dressed for his debut yet, that experience was a massive boost for his confidence and learning what it takes to reach the top level. 

“I think the mindset is to just keep getting better every day,” Fink said. “Summer is a big thing for me, especially because I'm a smaller guy, so the mindset is just get better every day. And then, I can learn from everyone on this ice. Everyone's a really good player here, and they’re here for a reason, so it's a good learning experience for me and it’s exciting.”

And for Fink, that education never stops, no matter who he’s got his eye on. 

“You can learn from everyone, and can learn skills from everyone,” Fink said. “Wyatt Cullen, he's a super skilled player. I can learn from him every day, even though he's younger than me. I can see what he does, I can learn from him, and I can take away new skills.”

That’s exactly the kind of approach the Preds want every player in attendance to take, and the newest Preds are taking notice, too. 

“Definitely, like guys like [Fink] and Teddy Stiga and Ryker Lee, I think they've had success at the next level, and I try to take as much as I can from them in practice and learning stuff that they do well,” Cullen said. “Like I said, I think I'm trying to take as much in, and that's one of the biggest pieces, I think, just the high-end guys and trying to watch them and see how they play and do things - and off the ice, too, all their habits and everything.”

Cullen and Bleyl skated in the same group together on Monday, and after spending the weekend getting to know each other, they were equally as impressed with what they saw of one another on the ice. 

“He's a great player,” Bleyl said of Cullen. “We were doing some shooting a little bit beforehand, and he has a great shot. I can tell he's a fast player, really fun to play with.”

“He's obviously such a dynamic defenseman, such a good skater, such a good puck handler,” Cullen said of Bleyl. “I think it's going to be really fun playing against him at Michigan State [next season], and hopefully playing with him soon here.”

No one is going to win a roster spot this week, but they can certainly make a positive impression on the decision makers in the process. That’s the goal for everyone in attendance, and if Monday was any indication, the participants aren’t wasting any time. 

And even amidst all of the information that comes within the first day of Development Camp, it isn’t lost on the future pros that this is pretty darn cool, too. 

Like seeing one’s name in lights on the side of a building. 

"It's seriously like a dream come true,” Bleyl said. “I mean, just seeing the logo kind of gives me butterflies a little bit, you know? Not only is it an NHL club, it's a really high level, really well-established NHL club. So, it's just super fun to be here.”