Smashville Scope: March 1-8

The Smashville Scope presented by JOCKEY prepares fans for the week ahead with news, videos and clips from the past week, plus, game and event info for the next seven days. Use promo code "GOAL" to save 25% on your next JOCKEY purchase.
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In fewer than two months' time, Tanner Jeannot has played in the top three professional hockey leagues in North America.
The extenuating circumstances of playing a season during a pandemic offer an explanation as to why the 23-year-old forward has seen time in the ECHL, AHL and NHL all within a short span, but even so, it's still an impressive feat.
Perhaps just as impressive is Jeannot's rise through the Predators organization over the past few years that led to him making his NHL debut at Bridgestone Arena against Carolina on March 2.

"It's been awesome, and I'm sure everyone that gets the opportunity to play their first game in the NHL will say the same thing," Jeannot said the day after his debut. "It's something that you work for your whole life. I can't thank the people that helped me get me here enough - my family for driving me to the rink in the mornings, all those early mornings, and coaches, friends, teammates, everybody's sharing it with me. I've gotten lots of messages from a lot of people back home and from all around, so it's been really amazing."
"What a special night for Tanner," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of the debut. "You look at his road to the NHL from Moose Jaw in the WHL, he spent some time in the East Coast League, the American League, and really, he's earned everything he's gotten. Here's a player that really loves the game, loves to compete, he's willing to do anything to get better, he's a hungry guy and he's worked tremendously hard in Milwaukee with the coaches on his game. Those are some of the special things in coaching when you see a player that has taken probably the hardest route to the NHL and plays his first NHL game; it's really special… It was nice to see him come in, and he's another good prospect for us."

A native of Oxbow, Saskatchewan, a town with a population of fewer than 1,400 people in 2016, Jeannot was never drafted, but signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Predators ahead of the 2018-19 season while he was making a name for himself with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League.
Jeannot scored 40 goals and 80 points in his final season with the Warriors, and the 6-foot-2 winger made his way to the Milwaukee Admirals to begin his pro career. Two seasons of consistent improvement with the Ads led Predators General Manager David Poile to drop Jeannot's name frequently during the 2020 offseason when discussing prospects who could find their way on the Nashville roster soon.
"I try not to pay too much attention to that stuff, but obviously you kind of hear about it just from people telling you about it and they saw this and this article and things like that," Jeannot said. "But my focus has always just been trying to get better every day, do something that's going to get me better and ultimately get me to my end goal of playing full time in the NHL. I got my first one down, so now I've just got to keep doing the same thing, try to get better every day and hopefully keep going."
After attending Predators training camp in January, Jeannot began his 2021 season with Nashville's ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Three goals and six points in five games later, he went to Chicago of the AHL, was named an assistant captain with the Wolves and rattled off three more goals and eight points in six games to earn his first recall to the NHL.
Jeannot is now back down in Chicago, and while he knows this is part of the process, he's thankful for the initial opportunity to wear a Predators jersey for the first time. That experience has only made him want to work harder for another chance in Nashville, and if he keeps on his current trajectory, it likely won't be long before the phone rings again.
"It's just a great group, we're having lots of fun and we were playing really well," Jeannot said of skating with the Wolves. "The coaches were really helping out, and it was just a good setup for me. I got to play a lot, I got to do things that I don't normally get to do, I felt it helped me grow as a player and it's helped to get me here today."

Pitlick Makes Season Debut:

Five days after Jeannot got his first taste of NHL action, Rem Pitlick got career game No. 2.
The 23-year-old forward, who made his debut - a single game with Nashville back in the spring of 2019 - was back in the lineup on Sunday night, and there was no easing in this time around.
The Predators relied on Pitlick at the center position between Mikael Granlund and Calle Jarnkrok in Dallas, and he even saw time on a power-play unit. Pitlick skated 13:14 in the contest and registered one shot on goal and four wins in the face-off circle while showing his marked improvement over the past few years.
"Rem had a good first game," Hynes said following Sunday's win in Dallas. "He's been playing center in Chicago, so we put him in the middle and felt that Granlund and Jarnkrok would be really good for him, two good, veteran guys that are really smart, good players, and I thought Rem did a good job. I thought he had a lot of jump. He's a speedy, quick player, I thought he made some pretty good plays when he had opportunities, and we put him on the power play in the bumper position. So, he came in, and I think one of the questions we had just coming in was [how would he handle] his first game [this season] and the competitive level on the puck, playing center at the NHL level; we thought he came in and played well in those areas, so it was a good for showing him. We're excited."
Pitlick had eight goals in eight games to lead the Chicago Wolves - and the entire AHL - before his recall to Nashville, and he remains on the trip as the Preds head to Carolina for a pair against the Hurricanes on Tuesday and Thursday.

Preds, NHL Celebrate International Women's Day:

Women's impact in hockey has never been greater, and on this International Women's Day, the NHL, NHLPA and the Predators are recognizing those who make the game better every day.
From the NHL: "This month, the NHL and NHLPA are celebrating more than 200 women from across the hockey community, on and off the ice, in honor of International Women's Day and Gender Equality Month, a Hockey Is For Everyone™ initiative. These women will be featured on NHL.com/GenderEquality and across the League's social platforms."

Predators COO Michelle Kennedy, General Counsel Heidi Bundren, Assistant General Counsel Jill Ormandy, Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King and Senior Director of Human Resources Courtni Mosley
are all being featured by the NHL among a list of more than 200 women who are in senior leadership roles at the NHLPA, NHL and its 32 Member Clubs.
Last month,
the Predators started their Preds Girls Hockey program
, an initiative funded entirely by the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund with support of the Predators. A 12-week learn-to-play program for girls ages 4-17, the program comes at no cost for girls to participate and includes all of the on-ice coaching instruction, as well as a full set of equipment, head to toe, for participants to keep.

Click here for more
on all the initiatives underway during Gender Equality Month from the Preds and the NHL.

1,500 for D.J.:

They don't receive much attention in the public eye, but athletic trainers around the hockey world deserve plenty of credit for keeping players in top shape and nursing them back to health when injuries occur.
Predators Assistant Athletic Trainer D.J. Amadio has been doing just that for years in Nashville, and last week against Carolina, he worked his 1,500th professional hockey game as a trainer. Amadio is also an avid backyard barbecuer, and as a showing of their appreciation for his work, Preds players all chipped in to purchase a smoker that is sure to get a good workout this summer.
Congratulations to Amadio, and as Predators Head Athletic Trainer Andy Hosler said, "here's to 1,500 more."

Chicago Wolves Update:

With the Milwaukee Admirals electing to sit out the 2020-21 season in the AHL, the Predators are utilizing an agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Chicago Wolves to serve as Nashville's AHL affiliate this season.
Predators prospects Tanner Jeannot, Anthony Richard, Sean Malone, Cole Smith, Tommy Novak, Tyler Lewington, Lukas Craggs, Patrick Harper, Frederic Allard and Philip Tomasino are currently on the Chicago roster, and many are making an impact as the season continues.
The Wolves fell in a shootout on Friday night before being shut out by Lake Erie on Saturday to bump their record to 8-2-0-1. Even still, they sit atop the Central Division with 17 points and are second overall in the AHL standings.
Novak has two goals and 10 points in 10 games with Chicago, and Tomasino is producing at a point-per-game pace with four goals and nine points in nine outings. Allard has one goal and eight points in seven games with the Wolves, and Jeannot is back with eight points in six games overall.

Goal of the Week:

Assist of the Week:

Save of the Week:

Quote of the Week:

Filip Forsberg describing Pekka Rinne's play following Sunday's win in Dallas:
"Phenomenal. We haven't been playing great hockey in front of him lately, and today we played better, but he stood on his head when we needed him. Especially that one in the shootout, it was just beautiful to watch. He was phenomenal."

Shots of the Week:

Predators vs. Hurricanes Mar. 2 Photo Gallery
Predators vs. Panthers Mar. 4 Photo Gallery
Predators vs. Panthers Mar. 6 Photo Gallery
Predators at Stars Mar. 7 Photo Gallery

The Week Ahead:

Tuesday at Carolina Hurricanes, 6 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports Tennessee Radio: 102.5 The Game
Thursday at Carolina Hurricanes, 6 p.m. CT
TV:Fox Sports Tennessee Radio: 102.5 The Game
Saturday at Tampa Bay Lightning, 6 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports Tennessee Radio: 102.5 The Game
Monday at Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports Tennessee Radio: 102.5 The Game

Predators Official Podcast:

ESPN SportsCenter anchor and NHL Insider Linda Cohn joins the podcast to give a national perspective on the Predators' 2020-21 season and discuss her broadcasting career (17:15). Thomas Willis and Brooks Bratten take their turn at trying to explain the Preds poor starts but strong third periods (5:10). Plus, the show answers fan questions and previews a 16-day road trip for Nashville (47:00).

Week in Review:

Rinne, Josi Lead Preds to Shootout Win Over Dallas to Start Road Trip
Preds Start Strong But Finish Homestand with Loss to Panthers
Arvidsson, Preds Foundation, PetSmart Present Arvy's Animal Rescue Club
Final Push Not Enough as Preds Fall to Panthers to Begin Two-Game Set
Preds Foundation Awards First SuperGrant of 2020-21 Season to Maple Built
Maple Built Receives Preds Foundation, SmileDirectClub SuperGrant
Preds Girls Hockey Encouraging Participants to "Play Like A Girl"
Predators Prospect Report: March 3
Comeback Falls Short as Preds Continue Homestand with Loss to Hurricanes