Predators Draft Jack Ivankovic 58th Overall

Ivankovic shows great positioning, composure and confidence in goal. He can take angles away very easily and is always square with shooters. Even though he lacks the size, he always makes himself big in the crease to take away the top part of the net effectively. He does a great job to fight through traffic in order to not lose sight of the puck and maintain his positioning. While his rebound control could be better, he’s quick to gather himself, locate the puck and make a timely or highlight reel save. He’s competitive and does whatever he can to keep the puck out.

THW Prospect Profile Excerpt

“Heading into the season, Ivankovic was considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Although he has fallen off slightly during his season with the Steelheads, he has still had a great season for Brampton as their number-one option. After being given the full reigns of the Steelheads net this season after they traded Ryerson Leenders to the Brantford Bulldogs, Ivankovic has played in 40 games at the time of writing, posting a .902 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.16 goals against average (GAA.) Ivankovic also represented Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship and played in one game where he posted a .923 SV%. Sadly the game he played in was Canada’s infamous loss to Latvia but those who watched the game clearly saw that Ivankovic was not the reason Canada lost that game.

“Ivankovic plays a very steady game and is a positionally-sound goaltender. You rarely see him out of position or diving through the crease to try to stop pucks. He is often in line with his posts and square to a shooter, making it easy to save shots if he can see them. He also has great rebound control and can cover up pucks when needed or send the puck to his defenceman so they can bring the puck up the ice. A problem for Ivankovic is his size as he stands only at 5-foot-11 so it is harder for him to see the puck through screens.”

Full player profile can be found here.

How This Affects the Predators’ Plans

The Predators have historically had some very good goaltending and they look to continue that pipeline with the selection of Ivankovic. The team still has Juuse Saros locked in between the pipes for the foreseeable future, giving Ivankovic time to properly develop before eventually making the jump to the professional ranks. Goalies typically develop slower than other position groups, so the Predators being proactive here makes a lot of sense, especially if they love the player.