Ten of the Nashville Predators' eleven newest draft picks will join 24 other prospects for the 2023 Development Camp. Camp kicked off yesterday for the players with physicals and today they take the ice at Centennial Sportsplex for practice.
The 35 prospects descended on Nashville after completing seasons in Swedish and Finnish leagues, the OHL, WHL, QMJHL, and NCAA. The roster is comprised of draftees from 2020 through Wednesday and Thursday's 2023 draft along with five development camp invitees.
There will be a wealth of talent to watch at Centennial Sportsplex as the players take the ice Sunday afternoon, and Monday and Wednesday mornings. Here are three prospects I'm keeping an extra eye on this week.
Matthew Wood
The Predators' #15 overall pick on Wednesday night will draw plenty of attention at development camp this week and not just because of where he was chosen in the draft. The 18 year old just completed his freshman year at the University of Connecticut where he scored eleven goals and 34 points in 35 games and led the team in points and assists.
Wood's ability to score from anywhere on the ice is one reason the Predators' took him with their first pick in the 2023 draft, and the 6-foot-4 forward says he models his game after another UConn hockey standout, Tage Thompson. Wood shared that he wants to work on improving his acceleration and strength this season.
Reid Schaefer
Nineteen year old Reid Schaefer came to the Predators' organization as a part of the Mattias Ekholm trade with the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. This will be Schaefer's first development camp with Nashville, and after an impressive season with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL, Schaefer will be one to watch this week.
Schaefer, a 2022 first round pick for the Oilers, helped lead the Thunderbirds to their most successful season in franchise history that included winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup after defeating the Winnipeg ICE in the championship. In 19 postseason games, Schaefer recorded eight goals and 19 points.
Nolan Burke
Burke, a Peterborough, ON native, is an undrafted forward that will be interesting to watch this week. The 20 year old is coming off an impressive season with the Sarnia Sting in which he played 56 regular season games. Burke scored 50 goals and 82 points in the regular season, second best in goals in the entire OHL. He was also a threat on the power play, scoring 23 goals on the man advantage. Burke signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Predators in November.
On ice activities at Development Camp are open to the public. On Thursday the prospects will participate in the Future Stars Game at 10:30 am.
Alexandre Carrier Signs One Year Deal with Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two Year Deal
More must-reads: