Nashville, Tenn. (June 28, 2025) – The Nashville Predators made seven selections in the 2025 NHL Draft – hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles – taking four defensemen, two forwards and one goaltender.
“I think we set out to add a lot to our mix,” Predators General Manager Barry Trotz said. “[In the] first couple of rounds, I thought we did a really good job of getting people that had skill, character and really strong upside, and then as we went through the Draft, we targeted some guys and added some size on defense. We felt we got a strong goaltending candidate for the future. Then we made some good, solid picks with players who have some potential to be a strong candidate to have a role or have [some] upside.”
In Friday’s first round, Nashville selected forward Brady Martin with the fifth overall pick. Martin, 18 (3/16/07), was the No. 11-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s rankings. He recorded a career-high 72 points (33g-39a), 72 penalty minutes and a +25 rating in 57 games this season while serving as an alternate captain for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. The 6-foot, 186-pound forward ranked second on the Greyhounds in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes and first in plus-minus rating. Martin then went on to record four points (2g-2a) in five postseason games. In his rookie OHL season in 2023-24, Martin tallied 28 points (10g-18a), 40 penalty minutes and a +12 rating in 52 contests. Internationally, Martin, who was born in Elmira, Ont., has represented Canada at three competitions, debuting for his country at the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, recording two goals and an assist in seven games. He also represented Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting four assists in five games en route to a gold medal, and at the 2025 World U-18 Championship, again winning the title while being named to the tournament’s All-Star Team.
The Predators traded up in the first round to 21st overall to take defenseman Cameron Reid, sending the Ottawa Senators the No. 23 overall pick (Logan Hensler) and the No. 67 pick (Kurban Limatov).Reid, 18 (4/8/07), was the No. 23-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s rankings. The 6-foot, 183-pound defenseman served as an alternate captain for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers in 2024-25, recording career highs with 54 points (14g-40a) and a +39 rating in 67 games. He led the team in assists and was third in points; Reid also ranked in the Top 10 in goals (seventh), points (10th) and plus-minus rating (fifth) by a defenseman in the league. In the postseason, he tallied five assists in 14 contests, helping lead Kitchener to the OHL’s conference finals. He has totaled 77 points (16g-61a) in 116 career OHL outings. Internationally, Reid, who was born in Aylmer, Ont., won gold with Canada at the 2023 U-17 World Hockey Championship, picking up two points (1g-1a) in eight games.
Nashville then selected forward Ryker Lee with the 26th overall pick. Lee, 18 (11/8/06), established USHL career highs in games played (58), goals (31), assists (37) and points (68) with Madison in 2024-25, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award and earning a spot on its First All-Star Team. He led the Capitols in goals and points and tied for the team lead in assists en route to a third-place finish in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. Lee ranked fourth in the league in points and goals and tied for seventh in assists. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward is committed to play collegiate hockey at Michigan State University in 2025-26.
To begin the second round on Saturday, Nashville selected defenseman Jacob Rombach with the 35th overall pick. Rombach, 18 (4/1/07), posted 18 points (3g-15a), 57 penalty minutes and a +29 rating in 57 games for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in 2024-25. He ranked third on his team and tied for eighth in the entire USHL in plus-minus, helping lead Lincoln to the Western Conference Final. The 6-foot-7, 209-pound defenseman was the No. 42-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s rankings. Rombach, a Blaine, Minn., native, is committed to play collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota in 2025-26.
The Predators completed a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire the No. 58 and No. 122 overall picks, giving up No. 55 overall (Jakob Ihs Wozniak). With its choice at No. 58, Nashville acquired Jack Ivankovic, the No.-4 ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting.Ivankovic, 18 (5/22/07), is a 6-foot, 173-pound netminder who posted a 25-12-5 record, 3.05 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and two shutouts in 43 games with the OHL’s BramptonSteelheads. After a rookie campaign that saw him win the OHL’s F.W. Dinty Moore Trophy, given to the first-year goalie with the best regular-season goals-against average, Ivankovic finished 2024-25 in the Top 10 in the league in goals-against average, save percentage and wins. Internationally, the Mississauga, Ont., native, has represented Canada at multiple competitions, winning three gold medals at the 2015 and 2024 U-17 World Championships and 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In the latter event, he posted a 0.75 goals against average, .967 save percentage and one shutout in four contests. He also became the first 17-year-old goaltender to start a game for Canada at the World Junior Championship in the 2025 edition of the tournament. He is committed to play collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan in 2025-26.
The Predators selected defenseman Alex Huang in the fourth round at No. 122 overall. Huang, 17 (7/30/07), posted 40 points (7g-33a), 16 penalty minutes and a +11 rating in 64 games for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL in 2024-25. Internationally, the Montreal, Que., native and right-shot blueliner represented Canada at the 2025 U-18 World Championship, winning a gold medalafter recording four points and a +3 rating in five contests. His four assists were tied for the most assists by a defenseman on his team.
With the Predators’ final selection of the 2025 NHL Draft, they chose 6-foot, 187-pound defenseman Daniel Nieminen from Pelicans of Finnish Liiga in the sixth round (163rd overall). Nieminen, 19 (3/1/06), recorded 11 points (4g-7a) and 10 penalty minutes in 39 games at the Liiga level in 2024-25; he also appeared in one game for Pelicans’ junior side. The Lahti, Finland, native earned silver at the 2025 World Junior Championship, notching two assists and a +4 rating in seven contests.
The Predators’ hockey operations staff now turns their focus to the team’s development camp, which runs from June 29-July 5, and the start of free agency, which begins July 1 at 11 a.m. CT.
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