The Nashville temperatures are still annoyingly high outside, but inside a local ice rink, Predators hockey is officially back.
Preds Training Camp presented by Ticketmaster began on Wednesday with team meetings and internal media activities at Bridgestone Arena, and the group is set to take the ice for the first time on Thursday at Ford Ice Center Bellevue for the unofficial start of the 2026-27 campaign.
There will be plenty of familiar faces sporting Gold once more, but more than a few fresh names are also getting acclimated to their new surroundings. Combine that with a number of changes in the front office over the summer, and the Predators certainly look different than they did at this time one year ago.
Plus, with the regular season shifting from 82 to 84 games - and, in turn, the preseason and training camp time shrinking - there’s no time to waste when it comes to preparing for Opening Night on Oct. 1.
So, what will come from the next two weeks? Here are four things to watch for during the 2026 edition of Preds Training Camp.
Under New Management:
Perhaps the biggest move of the offseason in Nashville saw the arrival of Chris MacFarland from Colorado to become the Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager - just the third GM in franchise history after Barry Trotz announced his retirement plan last winter.
MacFarland also brought in a number of new colleagues over the summer, including Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Rob Blake, Special Assistant to the General Manager Jamie Langenbrunner and Assistant General Manager Vukie Mpofu.
While none of these gentlemen will be on the ice, they’re certainly shaping things upstairs, and MacFarland will continue to make his mark on his new club.
A total of 55 players are attending Training Camp, and the Predators will have just 12 days to get down to the required 23 players on their roster by 4 p.m. CT on Sept. 28 before the start of the new season. Stay tuned to see how MacFarland chooses to construct his final roster ahead of Opening Night.
Switching Places:
No team looks exactly the same from season to season, but the Preds underwent plenty of changes over the past few months.
Forwards like Luke Evangelista, Zachary L’Heureux, Fedor Svechkov and Erik Haula are no longer in town, and a number of options now exist to fill those vacant spots.
Jack Drury, Ross Colton, Mavrik Bourque, Nils Hoglander, Alexander Kerfoot and Adam Edstrom are all NHL veterans who will be carving out roles among the forward group, while experienced blueliner Ilya Lyubushkin is expected to slot in among the defense corps.
In particular, seeing how the new forwards will mesh on lines with Preds regulars like Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault and Matthew Wood - and how Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette and his staff choose to deploy them - will be a fascinating storyline to follow over the next two weeks.
Youth Infusion:
In addition to those established NHLers, the Predators have a number of candidates who are looking to take the next step.
Youngsters like Brady Martin, Cole O’Hara, Joakim Kemell, Reid Schaefer and Ryan Ufko have already made their NHL debuts, and they’ll be vying for more games this time around.
Plus, forwards like Aiden Fink, David Edstrom and Vitali Pinchuk, plus defenseman Tanner Molendyk, are certainly candidates on the NHL radar as well.
So, will any of the hopefuls show well enough to win a roster spot?
Time Is Ticking:
The NHL schedule looks a bit different this time around.
For the first time in decades, the League has deviated from an 82-game regular season schedule, instead adding a pair for a total of 84 contests. Additionally, the NHL is beginning the season at least a week earlier than normal, with some teams starting play on Sept. 29.
As a result, the Predators will play two less preseason games - down to four from the usual six - and as they take the ice Thursday morning, they will be exactly two weeks away from Nashville’s Opening Night at Bridgestone Arena.
The condensed training camp schedule presents a new challenge, and with the need to get from 55 players down to 23 on the active roster in just 12 days, there’s no time to waste in the evaluation process.
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Nashville’s training camp is headlined by four preseason games, including two at Bridgestone Arena against Tampa Bay on Sept. 22 (7 p.m. CT) and Carolina on Sept. 26 (2 p.m. CT). Tickets to both of Nashville’s home preseason games are available at NashvillePredators.com. Additionally, for the first time in franchise history, all four preseason contests will be televised on The Spot – Nashville 28.
The team will also host the Gold Star Showcase presented by Ticketmaster, an intrasquad game between Predators players benefiting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. CT. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
All on-ice training camp practice sessions are open to the public and will be held at Ford Ice Center Bellevue unless otherwise noted. The team’s practice schedule is subject to change with limited notice given; fans seeking to attend are encouraged to check the Predators’ social media accounts for updates.
Click here for the full training camp roster, and click here for the full schedule.
