Hockey officially begins this week when the Nashville Predators open rookie camp at Centennial Ice Rink on Sept. 11.
The Predators announced 23 players will participate in rookie camp, which includes one practice at Centennial on Sept. 12, followed by a two-game rookie tournament Sept. 13-14 in North Carolina.
Full training camp opens Sept. 16 at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
This year's rookie camp roster has 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders. The group consists of 14 drafted players, three players acquired via trade, three players signed to contracts this summer, and three players attending on tryout agreements.
Here are three players to watch for as this weekend's rookie tournament unfolds, including 2025 first-round pick Brady
Martin.
Brady Martin
If Martin isn't the best player on the ice this weekend, I'll be surprised. He made a case for it during the Predators' Future Stars game back in June, where he and Egor Surin were the most physically imposing forwards on the ice (Note: Surin is already back in Russia and will not be at this weekend's camp).
Martin is still recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered at the 2026 World Junior Championships, but he told The Tennessean that everything feels fine. Expect Martin to lead the rookie showcase as the team's top center and playmaker.
Vitali Pinchuk
On April 27, the Predators beat out several other NHL teams for Vitali Pinchuk, signing the Belarussian forward to a one-year deal after a 31-goal, 35-assist season with Dynamo Minsk (KHL).
The left-handed center went undrafted in 2020, then had a few quiet years in the KHL before developing into a transition forward with excellent vision and puck skills.
Watching some Vitali Pinchuk highlights, you can see what the Predators like in this guy.
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) April 28, 2026
In particular, his skills in transition.
Pinchuk's timing & instincts off the rush are excellent, both with the puck and without it. Here's some examples. pic.twitter.com/VO6hoezLRl
The question for Pinchuk is speed. The KHL can occasionally export late bloomers — Artemi Panarin and Andrei Kuzmenko are two recent examples — but rarely do they develop big, lengthy forwards like Pinchuk (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) who find success in the NHL.
If Pinchuk doesn't have the speed to keep up in the NHL, we'll see it this weekend.
Viggo Gustafsson
Gustafsson was seen as a physical, two-way defenseman when he was taken in the third round in 2024, but he always felt like a more steady defensive player than an offensive hopeful. A good showing at the world juniors, where he scored six points in eight games for Sweden, may shift the focus now.
Determining Gustafsson's development path should be the Predators' immediate focus. Will he eat minutes as a defensive play-killer in Milwaukee? Or will he be used to create offense and quarterback the power play?
Full roster for Nashville Predators 2026 rookie camp
- F - Aiden Fink
- F - Cole O'Hara
- F - Brady Martin
- F - Kalan Lind
- F - Vitali Pinchuk
- F - Hiroki Gojsic
- F - David Edstrom
- F - Joey Willis
- F - Felix Nilsson
- F - Ben Strinden
- F - Charlie Puglisi
- F - Austin Roest
- F - Oasiz Wiesblatt
- D - Viggo Gustafsson
- D - Tanner Molendyk
- D - Daniel Nieminen
- D - Owen Murray
- D - Michel Myloserdnyy
- D - Benjamin Cossette Ayotte
- D - Andrew Gibson
- G - Isak Posch
- G - T.J. Semptimphelter
- G - Ben Hrebik
Nashville Predators rookie camp schedule:
- Sept. 11 - Physicals, team meetings
- Sept. 12 - Practice (9:30 a.m., Centennial Ice Rink)
- Sept. 13 - Predators vs. Hurricanes (1:35 p.m., Invisalign Arena)
- Sept. 14 - Predators vs. Lightning (1 p.m., Invisalign Arena)
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com, follow him on X at @alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brady Martin, other Nashville Predators to watch as rookie camp opens
