What We Learned From Nashville Predators Development Camp

The Preds finished development camp on Friday. Here are the biggest takeaways from the week.

Team Blue watches the Future Stars Game at the Nashville Predators development camp. / Nashville Predators

The young, fresh and future faces of the Nashville Predators got to showcase their skills amongst each other to their coaches and fans at development camp throughout the week.

Draft picks from the past couple of years and other camp invitees took part in the camp, where they ran through various drills to help enhance their skillsets and prepare them for game situations.

There were a few players and things overall that stood out from this week’s camp. Here are three things Nashville Predators On SI learned from this week’s camp.

Ryker Lee is Going to be a Very Valuable Offensive Piece

Nashville’s 2025 first round draft pick Ryker Lee really showed during the development camp and has a chance to be a primary source of offensive production one day for the Predators.

Throughout the week, the Michigan State Spartan consistently showed his shooting skills. Whether it was wrist shots, slap shots or driving to the net, the upside Lee showed on offense for Nashville was quite promising.

Lee admitted to reporters earlier in the week that one of things he was working on during the camp was his puck handling. Based on his performance in camp, Lee took good care of the puck.

During Friday’s Future Stars Game, Lee got a few shots up and one was rebounded by No. 10 pick Wyatt Cullen. In the shootout after regulation, Lee drove to the net, put a move on Michigan goalie and No. 70 pick in the 2026 draft Dmitri Borichev and scored.

There is still plenty of room for Lee to grow, but if he is able to unlock another next level in his puck handling combined with the shooting skills he already has, he could really be a guy Nashville’s coaching staff turns to for offense in the future.

Borichev’s Lack of Quality Experience Did Not Matter

Speaking of Dmitri Borichev, the biggest knock on his scouting report going into the 2026 draft was that he did not have much experience against quality competition. Sure, Borichev’s save percentage was a solid .930 in the MHL Junior Hockey League in Russia, but the players he faced were nothing compared to what a goalie may see in the pros.

Though he did not face seasoned NHL players during the development camp, he still saw players that have aspirations of long NHL careers, some most likely will. With the competition he saw during camp, he looked good.

Borichev came away with a shutout in the time he played in Friday’s game and was solid during the shootout portion after regulation. Borichev was ranked the top goaltender among international goaltenders in the 2026 draft and he played the part this week.

That does not necessarily mean Borichev is going to play for Nashville this season, but he did show promise for the future.

Nashville’s 2026 First-Rounders Are Delivering So Far

The Predators had two picks in the first round of this year’s draft, No. 10 and No. 31 overall. Nashville took Minnesota commit Wyatt Cullen with the 10th pick before trading up to select Michigan State defenseman Tommy Bleyel at the end of the first round.

For those two picks, it was so far so good during the development camp. Cullen showed what he could do on the offensive end with his ability to get in the middle of the ice and drive to the net. Cullen may not be the highest goal scorer – though he does have an ability to score – but he does have a really nice ability to make things happen on offense.

Cullen looks to be a player that the organization can rely on to dish the puck to teammates for shots. He seems to be more of a point guard on offense that helps get his teammates set up than a player that is a high volume shooter. Cullen and Ryker Lee played a lot together during camp and looked like a dangerous duo with Cullen as the playmaker and Lee as the scorer.

Defensively, Bleyel looked like he was worth the No. 31 pick. The thing that stood out about Bleyel is what he did on the first day of camp.

On a 2-on-1 drill against two forwards, Bleyel locked in and stopped the forwards from scoring. From a technique standpoint, Bleyel played it just about perfectly. He showed his aggressiveness and positioned himself and his stick between the forwards to come up with the stop.

The next time the Predators will be in action will be in September for training camp. The Predators will begin their preseason schedule Sept. 20 against the defending Stanley Cup Champions Carolina Hurricanes.

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