Preds Rookies Complete Two-Game Sweep at Prospect Showcase With Victory Over Lightning

Oasiz Wiesblatt recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick, and the Nashville Predators completed a two-game sweep at the 2026 Prospect Showcase with a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday afternoon at Invisalign Arena. 

David Edstrom and Michel Myloserdnyy also tallied, and goaltender Isak Posch earned the victory in net during a physical contest that saw the Preds stick together and collect their second win in as many days.

“It was pretty rough, but the boys showed well,” defenseman Tanner Molendyk said. “Obviously not easy coming back out of summer to play back-to-back, but I thought we competed, kind of did everything the coaches were asking for, and I thought we played well.”

“We pointed a few things out for the guys [from yesterday], and I thought they were much better in those areas,” Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor said of the Preds prospects. “Coachability is high, and it's nice to see them receive the messaging. And like I said yesterday, we're trying to help them get a head start on the main camp when the Nashville staff implements their system. So, we're trying to get some of that in the last two days. It was great to see the guys taking that information, and there's a few fights and all that kind of stuff, made it fun to watch with both teams sticking up for each other. But overall, it was a pretty good, solid effort by us.”

After the Lightning took a 1-0 lead in the opening period just after the Preds had killed off a penalty, Nashville responded in the second stanza. 

First, Vitali Pinchuk picked up his second point of the tournament as he drove to the net on the power play before Edstrom put home a loose puck to even the score at 1-1.

Then, Wiesblatt, who had a fight in the first period, found Miloserdnyy from below the goal line, and the 6-foot-7 blueliner one-timed a shot into the twine to give the Predators their first lead of the day.

In the third, it was Molendyk who took his turn behind the net and found Wiesblatt in front for a one-timer to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick - a goal, assist and fight in the same game - and finish off the scoring. 

“That guy's one of a kind,” Molendyk said of Wiesblatt, whose brother, Ozzy, played for the Preds last season. “I mean, you don't see players like him anymore, but [on the goal], I kind of got in the corner there, saw he was open, went around the net and he was still open, so I was like, ‘OK, might as well give it to him.’ He put in the back of the net, and he’s pretty good at doing that. Good guy to get it to.”

Even though the Preds won the game in regulation, the rules of the tournament still required a shootout to finish things off. 

And once more, Wiesblatt converted. 

"I'm really proud of Oasiz - Gordie Howe hat trick, and then the shootout goal, really proud of him,” Taylor said. “It’s a tough time of year, and their whole family's reflecting on different things [at the one-year anniversary of losing his brother Orca]. That was a difficult day, emotional day, and I thought he was just our best player, clearly, on the ice in every facet.”

There were three fights on the day between the Preds and Bolts before another large scrum towards the end of regulation that saw the Nashville rookies stick up for one another more like a team that’s been together for much longer than two games. 

“We’ve been with these guys for four days, and it feels like a team that's been together for a few months, and it's kind of kind of cool to see,” Molendyk said. “Even guys that are undrafted, all that, kind of showing up…it was good to see.”

Plenty of Preds prospects showed well over the two days, and now the group will head back to Nashville to join main Training Camp beginning Wednesday with a head start on the basics - and a pair of wins to their credit. 

“Just keep on building as we ended this weekend here,” Edstrom said. “Go in with with a good mindset and do everything you can.”

“We hope they carry it forward,” Taylor said. “The energy, when you get comfortable, and then you start to build some bonds like they have. And Tanner said it feels like they've been together for a really long time, that’s great going into the main camp because the big boys are coming, right? And so you have the NHLers in there, that’s can be intimidating, and I think building and going through this will allow them to have some comfort, because there's other people doing the same thing that they're going through. So, hopefully they build off that and they're able to play their best game and show why they're there and why they've been drafted or invited to camp.”

Notes: 

Edstrom, Molendyk and Austin Roest and served as alternate captains for the Preds on Monday. 

Wiesblatt, Felix Nilsson and Cole O'Hara all scored in the extra shootout. 

With their stay at the 2026 Prospect Showcase now complete, the Preds rookies will return to Nashville to join the rest of the roster for Training Camp starting Wednesday. A full roster and Training Camp schedule will be announced soon. 

That precedes Nashville’s first of four preseason games - a meeting with the Lightning in Tampa Bay this Sunday evening.