Preds Prospects Share Smiles During Annual Community Day

From baking cookies to painting pottery, those participating in Nashville Predators Development Camp got off the ice and into the city on Wednesday.
Preds Prospect Day in the Community, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, saw 36 rookies head to nine locations to experience a very important part of what it means to play for the Predators.

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt & Ronald McDonald House of Nashville:
They may not be opening a bakery anytime soon, but the six Predators prospects who broke out the measuring cups and spatulas in the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville kitchen produced some respectable Rice Krispy Treats before the day was done.
Eeli Tolvanen (forward, 2017 first-round pick), Mathieu Olivier (forward, signed), Rem Pitlick (forward, 2016 third-round pick), Pavel Koltygin (forward, 2016 sixth-round pick), Miroslav Svoboda (goaltender, signed) and Bobby McMann (forward, camp invite) put their skills to the test as part of the annual Preds Prospect Day in the Community, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Prior to the group also whipping up cookies and cupcakes for those families who call the House their "Home Away From Home" while their children receive inpatient or outpatient medical care at Nashville area hospitals, the players swung by Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt for a visit.
There, they were guests on a live radio broadcast at Seacrest Studios inside the hospital before meeting and taking photos with young patients. The children may not have had much to say - a bit shy in the presence of larger-than-life hockey players - but their smiles gave them away, the visit a perfect reprieve from the ailments that brought them there in the first place.
A focal point of Development Camp each season is learning "The Predator Way" and what it means to be a true professional on the ice and an even better person off of it. Wednesday saw those lessons personified firsthand.
"All of the fans in the community, all that they do for the Nashville Predators, it's a big thing," Tolvanen said. "To give back and just do these little things… it's a big thing for the hockey team and the hockey players to get out and meet different people."
By Brooks Bratten

Adventure Science Center:
Preds prospects don't always fly, but they did on Wednesday.
Hardy Haman Aktell (defenseman, 2016 fourth-round pick) and Charlie Kelleher (forward, signed) soared around the Adventure Science Center with aid from the museum's zero-gravity exhibit. After an hour of helping elementary-aged children learn about the principles of science in sports during the club's annual Preds Prospect Day in the Community, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Aktell and Kelleher had to try out one of the center's more-popular learning experiences firsthand.
After a salute to the onlookers, Aktell and Kelleher strapped in, and it wasn't long before they realized how easy it is for astronauts to leap and float in low-gravity situations.
The fun came after the true purpose of the visit, of course. Aktell and Kelleher, along with Mike Little (forward, camp invite), taught a captivated audience of dozens of children how friction affects a hockey puck and how reflex time impacts sports. The prospects' hands-on station was just one of many at the Adventure Science Center, a 2018 grant recipient from the Predators Foundation, a museum that features a planetarium, 3D printing workshops and science camps.
By Thomas Willis

Best Buddies of Tennessee:
When Predators prospect Tyler Moy (forward, 2015 sixth-round pick) arrived at Brushfire Pottery Studio for his community day event, it was clear it was his time to shine. The devoted - and incredibly talented - artist and Milwaukee Admirals forward joined Dante Fabbro (defenseman, 2016 first-round pick) and Zach Walker (forward, camp invite) at the studio to paint pottery with the Best Buddies of Tennessee.
"Getting an opportunity like to today to take part in painting some pottery with the Best Buddies was a blast," said Moy, who is participating in his fourth Preds development camp. "It was a nice mix up from the everyday activities that usually make up hockey camp. Everyone had a great time - the kids especially went crazy when GNASH made a surprise visit."
GNASH earned the loudest cheers from the Best Buddies - the organization that works to create friendships and opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities - but the players and young artists filled their two hours together with laughs, high-fives and plenty of selfies.
"It's always important to give back," said Fabbro, a 20-year-old from Vancouver. "Being able to represent the Predators organization is definitely something special. We get to be friends with the Best Buddies and talk about their experiences and help them out. It's something we all look forward to doing."
By Nick Barnowski

PENCIL Foundation:
Predators prospect Hayden Lavigne (goaltender, camp invite) was running around the LP PENCIL Box warehouse with the same ease and comfort of a PENCIL Partner staff member. Assisting teachers with their school supply haul, loading their cars with full carts and getting to know Metro Nashville's finest was how he and three other prospects spent their Wednesday afternoon.
Prospects Lavigne, Zach Magwood (forward, camp invite), Vladislav Yeryomenko (defenseman, 2018 fifth-round pick) and Niclas Westerholm (goaltender, signed) visited the warehouse unsure of what was in store for them, but quickly jumped into the tasks at hand, laughing with and getting to know the teachers they met.
"It's a lot of fun being out here today," Brampton, Ontario native Lavigne said. "A lot of us aren't in Nashville often so to be able to outreach with the community and meet people within the city is a great way for us to get to know the city and its residents."
The Predators have a long-standing relationship with the local LP PENCIL Box, giving donations and volunteers to assist in their yearly supply days and sortings.
"It's such an honor to have the Nashville Predators and their development camp players here to support us in our donations today," LP Pencil Box Manager Joel Wright said. "To have the teachers get personal interactions with the players, and for the players to see how true Nashvillians serve each other is great."
The LP PENCIL Box is a teacher supply store fully stocked with classroom necessities like notebooks, writing utensils, folders, hand sanitizer and more.
By Natalie Aronson

McNeilly Center:
Learning how to read is no easy task, but when you're receiving lessons from Czech Republic goaltender and Nashville Predators 2017 NHL Draft pick Tomas Vomacka the words seem to come to life.
Accompanied by Thomas Novak (forward, 2015 third-round pick), and Anthony Wyse (defenseman, camp invite), Vomacka and his teammates took to the all-too-familiar classroom once again, but this time as the teachers.
After meeting the kids in the classroom, the party went outdoors to meet with the chickens in the "Clucks 'n Pucks" coop, as the McNeilly Center chose to name it, after the Nashville Predators Foundation facilitated the development of the coop. The structure houses six chickens named in honor of current Predators players, including Mattias Egg-Holm, Roman Yolk-Si, Ryan Johans-Hen and Peck-a Rinne, to name a few. With the help of the children at the McNeilly Center, the players were able to feed Filip Fowl-sberg and Calle Jarn-Cluck, along with their four other feathered friends.
After leaving the coop, Novak, Wyse and Vomacka went to the chairs to lead the children along in their favorite stories, the perfect way to end the day.
"Working in the community is important for sure," Vomacka said. "It is always nice when we can go out and see the kids or do work in other areas, and be able to truly help out and have fun while doing it."
By Nicholas Gibson

Tennessee School for the Blind:
Vision is a huge aspect of playing hockey, and highly touted prospects are always recognized for the ways that they can see the play develop. Today, that was a little different.
Prospects attending the Predators Development Camp took part in the camp's annual Preds Prospect Day in the Community, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, with five of the attendees visiting the Tennessee School for the Blind. Grant Mismash (forward, 2017 second-round pick), Jake Jaremko (forward, camp invite), Joonas Lyytinen (defenseman, 2014 fifth-round pick), Milan Kloucek (goaltender, 2018 seventh-round pick) and Karel Vejmelka (goaltender, 2015 fifth-round pick) took part in a two-hour long introduction hockey gauntlet inside the gym of the institution. Activities ranged from learning how to stick-handle, pass, take shots (most of which found their way through the wickets of improvised goaltender Mismash) and a 30-minute scrimmage.
Before the scrimmage began, the prospects were given simulated-blind goggles so that they could experience playing the game in a similar fashion to how the children would be participating. The talent of the prospects drastically decreased as they did all they could to keep up with the students of the school while wearing the goggles.
"It really gives me a great respect for the kids, and how they live their lives when I try to play the game while the goggles are over my eyes," said Lyytinen, who also added that this has been his favorite experience of the camp thus far.
Whether on the ice or in the community, the Predators prospects know how to stand out. Smiles were found by the dozens as the future stars interacted with the students of The Tennessee School for the Blind. In an experience that will not soon be forgotten, the prospects once again found a way to stamp the Predators logo on the heart of this community.
By Aaron Fitzner