Jeff Kealty's professional hockey career was over as soon as it started.
After four years at Boston University, then a promising start with the Milwaukee Admirals, an injury in 1999 forced the defenseman to an early retirement.
That's when Paul Fenton, then Nashville Predators
assistant general manager, put a bug in Kealty's ear. Talk to GM David Poile, get in the door as a scout, and stay close to the game.Kealty was hired in 2001, eventually becoming director of scouting in 2008, then assistant general manager in 2018. Now, he's leaving the Predators for the same role with the San Jose Sharks.
"Twenty-five years . . . that's half my life," Kealty, now 50, told The Tennessean in an exclusive interview on July 18.
On July 17, the Sharks announced
they had hired Kealty as assistant general manager, where he will oversee pro scouting and "work closely with general manager Mike Grier in all aspects of hockey operations."
While technically a lateral move, Kealty explained why he made the decision.
“It just makes sense for me at this time," he said. “If there was ever a time to try and look at something else, this is probably it. These opportunities, sometimes you just have to take a chance."
The move was intriguing on two levels. On the hockey side, the Sharks are breaking through with blossoming superstar Macklin Celebrini. When the Sharks reached out to Kealty sometime after the 2026 NHL Draft, he couldn't ignore the chance to join a fast-rising franchise.
But the reality was Kealty also had interviewed for the Predators' open general manager position in May, a job eventually given to Chris MacFarland. Kealty praised the hire, saying MacFarland is "the right guy for the job."
He acknowledged the moment for what it was.
"I could stay and keep doing what I’m doing and be comfortable," Kealty said. "I absolutely love the Predators organization. But if there was a time to do it, I think this was the time.”
Still, it wasn't an easy decision.
"I’m so invested in the (Predators) organization," he said. "You’re invested in your work no matter what, that’s why we get into sports. But when you’re somewhere for 25 years, the passion that you have to see it through is huge."
Now, as Kealty heads to San Jose for a new chapter, the Predators have a tough question to answer: How do they replace 25 years of draft experience?
Why Jeff Kealty's departure is a big loss for Nashville Predators
Running an NHL draft room requires organization, planning and patience. It also takes an eye for talent and the ability to recognize opportunity when it presents itself.
Kealty's first opportunity to run a draft came in 2008. On Day 1, the Predators took forward Colin Wilson and goaltender Chet Pickard, but on the second day, Kealty thought other teams were sleeping on a Swiss-born defenseman named Roman Josi.
"I really, really pushed for (Josi). We had him high on our list, probably 15th or 16th or something like that," Kealty said. "When he was still there in the second round, we traded up for him . . . Now all these years later, you see what he’s become."
The 38th overall pick that year, Josi became an elite defenseman, team captain, a Norris Trophy winner and the face of the franchise. Not a bad find for Kealty's first draft.
"When we leave the room as a scouting staff, it’s always our guy, not my guy," he said. "It’s a team mindset. But I will say, if I go back to all my years of running drafts in Nashville, that Josi pick was big."
Under Kealty, the Predators have found late-round success, including Juuse Saros (fourth round, 2013); Viktor Arvidsson (fourth round, 2014); and Alex Carrier (fourth round, 2015). The first round has been less consistent: Ryan Ellis (2011), Seth Jones (2013) and Kevin Fiala (2014) were hits; Eeli Tolvanen (2017) and Philip Tomasino (2019) were not.
Still, losing Kealty means losing more than two decades of draft leadership. Lucas Bergman, Nashville's Swedish scout since 1998, acknowledged the magnitude of the loss.
"(Kealty's) leadership was really impressive," Bergman said. "He gave everyone a chance to speak, but you also knew you had to come prepared. If you had an opinion, you needed to have the facts to back it up. He was almost like an older brother. You never wanted to disappoint him, and that made you want to work even harder for the organization."
MacFarland has added Rob Blake, Jamie Langenbrunner and Vukie Mpofu to Nashville's front office, the three combined don't have the draft and scouting experience of Kealty. It will take time to recover that lost knowledge.
"(Kealty) had a voice in every decision because he expected everyone to come prepared with information, conviction and passion for the players they believed in," Bergman said. "He challenged all of us, and that made us better."
The Predators have not indicated who will run scouting and draft operations in Kealty's absence. Blake, who was general manager in Los Angeles for eight seasons (2017-25), seems like the best option.
While Kealty is now committed to helping the Sharks take that next step, he admitted that he'll be watching the development of his recent draft picks out of the corner of his eye, especially guys like Matthew Wood, Brady Martin and Ryker Lee.
"I care about the Predators," he said. "I care about doing things the right way. I care about how invested I was. I'll work my tail off no matter where my feet are."
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: Exclusive: Why assistant GM Jeff Kealty left Predators for San Jose Sharks
