Predators Down To Three Open Roster Spots
Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean theorized a few names of who might take one of the last available spots on the Nashville Predators opening night roster. General manager of the organization, Barry Trotz, was quoted as saying, “Realistically, there’s probably three spots and guys are pressing for those three spots“.
Daugherty asserts in his article that the Predators have two open spots at the forward position and one open position on defense. Zach L’Heureux, Juuso Parssinen, Mark Jankowski, and Joakim Kemell strike as the most NHL-ready players at this stage of preseason and may be in the hunt for one of those last two spots on offense. The latter may be a year or two away despite his impressive shot with Trotz saying, “(Kemell’s) s a shooter. That’s what he does. But you’re also looking at the rest of his game. How is he without the puck?“.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/24
With less than two weeks to go until the regular season, most teams have made their initial cuts to their training camp roster. Roster moves will continue Thursday, with players still being released from tryouts and returned to their junior teams. As always, we’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here.
Last updated 3:22 p.m.
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Andrew Basha (to WHL Medicine Hat)
F Matvei Gridin (to QMJHL Shawinigan)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)
F Luca Pinelli (to OHL Ottawa)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Ethan de Jong (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Maximus Wanner (to AHL Bakersfield)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Arvid Caderoth (released from ATO to ECHL Greenville)
G Carter George (to OHL Owen Sound)
F Liam Greentree (to OHL Windsor)
D Matthew Mania (to OHL Flint)
D Jared Woolley (to OHL London)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Andrew Gibson (to OHL Soo)
F Hiroki Gojsic (to WHL Kelowna)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Raivis Ansons (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jack Beck (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Isaac Belliveau (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Scooter Brickey (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Atley Calvert (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Mathieu De St. Phalle (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Sam Houde (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Gabe Klassen (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Justin Lee (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Mats Lindgren (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Bennett MacArthur (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Logan Pietila (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Luke Richardson (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Philip Waugh (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
F Sam Bitten (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
F Matthew Peca (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
Predators' Fedor Svechkov Out Week-To-Week
Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini left practice today with a lower-body issue. No specifics were given to the media as the Sharks coaching staff referred to the issue as a “Little bit of everything” and they believe that the 18-year-old will practice tomorrow with the team.
The first overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft had a strong preseason debut on Sunday night against the Vegas Golden Knights scoring a goal and adding an assist. No word on whether or not the issue popped up from something that happened in the game or during training camp. The Sharks aren’t expected to compete for the playoffs this season, but it will be an important season nonetheless as they try to develop their young core.
In other injury notes from around the league:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson took a maintenance day today and did not practice with the team (as per SinBin.Vegas). Karlsson’s absence is injury-related, although the ailment is being kept out of the media at this time. The 31-year-old won’t play tomorrow but Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t rule him out beyond tomorrow. Karlsson has been relatively durable throughout his career but dealt with a lower-body injury in the second half of last season that kept him out of action for over a month.
- Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean writes that Nashville Predators forward Fedor Svechkov will be out of action week-to-week with what appears to be a lower-body injury. The 2021 first-round pick has yet to see NHL action after he came over to North America last season and spent the year in the AHL. He appeared to be injured in the Predators preseason game against the Florida Panthers on Sunday after he took a hit from Tobias Bjornfot. Svechkov couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he headed off the ice and down the tunnel.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/23/24
Training camp cuts continue Monday across the league, mostly involving fringe prospects being returned to their junior teams. As always, we’re keeping track of today’s moves with this article, which will be updated throughout the day.
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
F Chad Hillebrand (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Devante Stephens (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to WHL Spokane)
Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)
F Cole Davis (released from ATO to OHL Windsor)
F Ethan Neutens (released from ATO to WHL Kelowna)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to WHL Calgary)
D Corbin Vaughan (released from ATO to WHL Regina)
F Luke Woodworth (released from ATO to QMJHL Drummondville)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
F Kalan Lind (to WHL Red Deer)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to QMJHL Moncton)
F Miguel Marques (to WHL Lethbridge)
G Jakub Milota (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Joey Willis (to OHL Saginaw)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
G Hugo Ollas (to AHL Hartford)
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
D Matthew Andonovski (to OHL Kitchener)
F Lucas Ellinas (to OHL Kitchener)
D Gabriel Eliasson (to SHL HV71)
D Filip Nordberg (to USHL Sioux Falls)
San Jose Sharks (per Max Miller of The Hockey News/NHL.com)
D Jérémie Bucheler (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Nolan Burke (to AHL San Jose)
F Joe Carroll (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
G Dawson Cowan (released from ATO to WHL Spokane)
G Aaron Dell (released from PTO to AHL San Jose) – per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group
F Luke Grainger (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
D Gannon Laroque (to AHL San Jose)
F Ivan Lodnia (released from PTO)
D Nate Misskey (to WHL Victoria)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to WHL Victoria)
D Colton Roberts (to WHL Vancouver)
F Donavan Villeneuve-Houle (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Carson Wetsch (to WHL Calgary)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
D Alexis Bernier (to QMJHL Baie-Comeau)
F Clarke Caswell (to WHL Swift Current)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to WHL Prince Albert)
D Jakub Fibigr (to OHL Brampton)
D Kaden Hammell (to WHL Everett)
F Ollie Josephson (to WHL Red Deer)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to WHL Portland)
F Andrei Loshko (to OHL Niagara)
F Julius Miettinen (to WHL Everett)
D Caden Price (to WHL Kelowna)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)
F Mikael Huchette (to USports Concordia)
D Viliam Kmec (to WHL Prince George)
D Mazden Leslie (to WHL Vancouver)
F Jacob Mathieu (to QMJHL Rimouski)
F Shane Smith (to WHL Medicine Hat)
F Tuomas Uronen (to OHL Kingston)
Predators Sign Hiroki Gojsic To Entry-Level Deal
The Predators have signed forward prospect Hiroki Gojsic to a three-year, entry-level contract, general manager Barry Trotz announced Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
It’s a nice reward for Gojsic, who will now likely receive a signing bonus this season after making his preseason debut for Nashville against the Panthers on Sunday. The Predators selected the 18-year-old right winger in the third round of this year’s draft (No. 94 overall).
Gojsic, a British Columbia native, checks in at 6’3″ and 198 lbs. He made his major junior debut for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets last season, finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 50 points (21 G, 29 A) in 68 games with 51 PIMs and a +5 rating.
Elite Prospects called Gojsic a “powerful winger with an NHL shot” in their 2024 draft guide. While that’s true, his overall defensive awareness and skating don’t yet match the profile of an NHL-projectable power forward. His early showings this season are decent, though – he had two goals and two assists in three games during Nashville’s rookie camp tournament earlier this month.
Gojsic will likely be cut from the Preds’ training camp roster in the next few days and returned to the Rockets, where he’ll likely play the next two seasons in full before turning pro in the Preds organization in 2026. He’s a May birthday, so his deal is eligible for an entry-level slide twice. As long as he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in each of the next two seasons, his ELC won’t go into effect until 2026-27, making him a restricted free agent after the 2028-29 campaign.
Evening Notes: Marchessault, Lambert, Peterka, Puljujarvi
Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault had his number retired by the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts today, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to receive the honor.
Marchessault, now 33, appeared in 254 games for the Remparts in parts of four seasons from 2007 to 2011. He’s top 10 in franchise history in games played, goals (98, t-ninth), assists (141, sixth), and points (239, eighth). He and Marc-Édouard Vlasic are the only active NHLers to have their numbers retired by the Remparts.
The honor comes just over a year after Marchessault hoisted the Conn Smythe Trophy, helping the Golden Knights to their first championship in franchise history with a league-leading 13 goals and a +17 rating in 22 playoff games. He landed a five-year, $27.5MM deal with Nashville in free agency this summer.
Elsewhere from around the league this evening:
- A strong showing early on in training camp has Brad Lambert primed to make a real run at starting the regular season as the Jets’ second-line center, writes Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller. Lambert, 20, was a consensus top-five pick entering his draft year but fell to Winnipeg at 30th overall in 2022 after a disappointing showing. He got fully back on track in his first pro season last year, leading the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in scoring with 55 points (21 G, 34 A) in 64 games. “I think I’ve improved on my attention to detail,” he told Stoller. “Being able to play on the defensive side of the puck, being reliable and being able to react quicker. I’ve tried to evolve every aspect of my game.”
- Televised hockey is back with the first few preseason games taking place Saturday night. There’s a blowout going on in Buffalo with the Sabres’ mostly NHL roster dressed against some fringe Penguins talent, leading to some wide-open play. Buffalo’s John-Jason Peterka and Pittsburgh’s Jesse Puljujärvi have dueling hat-tricks, marking an especially important early showing for the latter. Puljujärvi, the fourth overall pick in 2016, had just four points in 22 games with Pittsburgh last season and needs a strong preseason showing to avoid landing on waivers.
Stastney (Personal) Not At Training Camp
- Predators defenseman Spencer Stastney is not with the team in training camp for personal reasons and there is no word yet on when he’ll return, relays Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. The blueliner split last season between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee, getting into 20 games with the big club where he had two goals and two assists in just under 16 minutes a night. Somewhat surprisingly, the two sides went to salary arbitration this summer with the 24-year-old being awarded a two-year, $1.625MM contract, the second season of which is a one-way salary.
Predators To Sign Lucas Johansen To PTO
Defenseman Lucas Johansen will join the Nashville Predators in training camp on a professional tryout agreement as reported by Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game. The younger brother of former Predator Ryan Johansen has spent the better part of the last decade with the Washington Capitals organization.
Johansen was previously thought to be one of the better two-way defensive prospects in the Capitals pipeline after being selected by the organization with the 28th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft. He came from a Kelowna Rockets program in the WHL that became known for churning out quality defensive prospects. Johansen got off to a quick start with the Capitals’ organization in the 2017-18 season scoring six goals and 27 points in 74 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Injuries quickly began to pile up for the young defenseman who only mustered 59 games for the Bears from 2018-2021. The injury concerns negatively impacted his value as a prospect as Washington pivoted to other options on the blue line. Johansen only managed to skate in six games for the Capitals from 2021-24 with only two points to show. There is little to no chance of Johansen cracking Nashville’s blue line for the upcoming season out of camp. Still, he could prove valuable with the organization’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.
The Admirals have been one of the AHL’s best regular season teams over the last few years finishing third or higher in the Central Division in seven out of the previous eight seasons. The team has failed to deliver in the playoffs despite the regular season success losing the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back campaigns against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Johansen may be the missing piece to finally get the Admirals over the hump, however, as he recently won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with Hershey.
Nashville Predators Re-Sign Philip Tomasino
The Nashville Predators have signed their final remaining restricted free agent one day before the team is set to participate in their first on-ice session of training camp. According to a team announcement, Nashville has agreed to a one-year, $825K contract with forward Philip Tomasino.
It’s been a difficult few years for the former 24th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Tomasino became a full-time member of the Predators’ roster relatively quickly after securing a point-per-game season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2020-21.
He was a promising depth scorer for the Predators during his rookie season in 2021-22, with 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games while averaging 11:32 minutes of ice time per night. Tomasino’s versatility up front allowed Nashville to move him from his natural position at center, which took some pressure off the young forward. He finished seventh on the team in scoring and was looking for more responsibility in his sophomore season.
In a somewhat confusing decision by the Predators, Tomasino did not make the team out of training camp for the 2022-23 NHL season and wasn’t recalled until February 13th of that year. He was nearly a point-per-game player with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, with 12 goals and 32 points in 38 contests, but he received little interest in Nashville despite the team struggling on offense. Tomasino finished the 2022-23 regular season with five goals and 18 points in 31 games averaging nearly four minutes more ice time than his rookie year.
Despite the Predators becoming one of the league’s better offensive teams under new head coach Andrew Brunette; Tomasino’s output plummeted. He scored seven goals and 20 points through 41 games for Nashville while posting 11 goals and 18 points in 21 games with Milwaukee. In early May, Brunette publicly called out Tomasino when he said, “If he continues to have the skill without the work, I don’t think he has a chance to play with us next year“.
One would reasonably assume from that quote that Tomasino has an outside chance of making Nashville’s roster this season unless his work ethic has dramatically improved. The team had a busy offseason and has expectations for the Stanley Cup playoffs this year so they are not in a position to have any slack on offense. It may be much of the same for Tomasino by starting the year in Milwaukee and trying to force Nashville’s hand on a call-up.
Predators Expect Stamkos To Be A Leader This Season
- Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette is most excited to see Steven Stamkos’ leadership at work when the veteran begins his first training camp with his new team (as per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean). Stamkos joined Nashville via free agency and brings a large skillset to the team, but it is his reputation and leadership that has Brunette excited. Brunette told reporters that he will have Stamkos play with a pile of players early on to see how things go and to try and find the right mix. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him paired up with youngsters Thomas Novak or Luke Evangelista, given that Brunette sees leadership as Stamkos’s biggest asset.