Rookie Camp Game Day: Preds at Lightning

The 2025 NHL Prospect Tournament has arrived, and the Nashville Predators rookies are in Tampa to take on the Lightning this afternoon.

The puck drops at 4 p.m. CT at AdventHealth Center Ice between the Preds and Bolts top prospects, and the game will be streamed live on NashvillePredators.com.

Today’s contest is the first of three games in four days for the Preds rookies as they’ll face off once each against the Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes in the annual tournament.

For Nashville, the goal at this time of the year is continued growth and development, but they’re not opposed to winning either. The Preds will try to do just that today with hockey finally returning to the docket after a long summer.

“It’s everyone's first game of the year, and it’s going to be a little rusty,” Preds defenseman Andrew Gibson said Thursday following the team’s only practice in Nashville before heading to Tampa. “The first 10 minutes are probably going to be a gongshow out there, but you never want to lose. I've been competitive my whole life, no matter what it is. I always want to win. So, it's going to be a big factor going into this weekend, and hopefully we win all three.”

The Preds rookies will be led once again behind the bench by the coaching staff from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Head Coach Karl Taylor, plus Assistant Coaches Greg Rallo and Matt Donovan, as well as Predators brass - including General Manager Barry Trotz - will all be on hand to get a look at some of the top talent in the Predators system.

A total of 24 prospects are on the Nashville roster for the tournament, including three players - forwards Matthew Wood and Joakim Kemell, plus defenseman Ryan Ufko - who all made their NHL debuts last season with the Preds.

Additionally, two of Nashville’s three first-round picks from the 2025 NHL Draft - forward Brady Martin (fifth overall) and defenseman Cameron Reid (21st overall) - are also on the roster. Players who have committed to play collegiately in the NCAA this season - such as 2025 draftees Ryker Lee, Jacob Rombach and Jack Ivankovic - are not attending due to college already in session.

Other top prospects such as defenseman Tanner Molendyk, as well as forwards David Edstrom and Reid Schaefer, help to round out the Nashville roster.

Per the Lightning, teams will dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders for each contest. Games are regulation length with three 20-minute periods. A five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period will determine a winner if games are tied after regulation. Games will conclude with a five-player shootout regardless of the final score.

The festivities mark the 15th time in the last 16 rookie camps that Predators prospects will play games against another Sunbelt franchise, and the 10th time in the last 11 camps that a team of rookies will compete in a tournament. The 2024 edition of the showcase was hosted by the Predators at Ford Ice Center Bellevue; Nashville previously hosted the event at Ford Ice Center Antioch in 2017 and 2019.

Stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com and @PredsNHL on social media for complete coverage of the Preds at the NHL Prospect Tournament, and follow me, @brooksbratten, on X for updates throughout the weekend.