Who the Nashville Predators are Projected to Take in Latest Mock Drafts
The 2026 NHL Draft is under three weeks away as the Nashville Predators evaluate prospects they believe could help push the franchise forward into the future.
Nashville is in the midst of a regime change in the front office with its new General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Chris MacFarland getting settled in his new role. With the changes the team has made recently furthers the importance of this offseason for the Predators.
With the draft being just 16 days away, NHL.com put out its latest mock draft with two writers giving their thoughts on who each team should select. Writer Adam Kimelman has the Predators selecting Wyatt Cullen with the 10th pick in the draft while Mike Morreale has Nashville picking Tynan Lawrence.
Cullen is a left winger that currently plays for the USA National Team and Development Program in the under-18 category. Cullen is 6-foot-1 and 176 pounds after hitting a five-inch growth spurt from the time he was on the under-17 team. As a 17-year-old, Cullen scored 16 goals and came up with 29 assists in 40 games for the under-18 U.S. team.
Cullen did have issues with an injury last season, but his ability to score and attack offensively when he was on the ice is what makes him rated as high as he is. Per The Hockey Writers, Cullen averaged 2.73 shots on goal per game, which was the third-best on his team.
Adding a guy that can get that kind of offensive production and throw that many shots on net is something that MacFarland and the Predators’ coaching staff could see plenty of value in.
Lawrence, however, comes from the college level. Lawrence is a center prospect from Boston University. He has a very similar frame to Cullen, standing at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. He joined Boston in early January after playing in the United States Hockey League.
The biggest thing that Lawrence receives praise for is his ability to get into the middle of the ice. Despite just being a 17-year-old, Lawrence is a guy that has the ability to find holes in the defense and work his way in the middle of the ice and create quality offensive opportunities.
In a mock draft from The Hockey Writers, Owen Hillman has the Predators selecting Windsor Spitfires left winger Ethan Belchetz. Belchetz is 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. Providing plenty of size for his position, Belchetz also brings offensive production as he discord 59 points in the OHL last this past season.
It would be interesting to see how MacFarland evaluates a player like Belchetz that may not have the speed at his frame, but brings the size and physicality to a roster.
Bleacher Report offers a different perspective in its mock draft, however. The outlet has the Predators taking defenseman Daxon Rudolph from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
If the Predators went defense on its first pick this draft, it would be an interesting decision. Defensemen are not as pressing of a need for Nashville as left wingers or centers are. The Predators spot at 10th overall will likely give them options to fill a need on the wing or in the middle of the ice. If those plans fall through, though, Rudolph would be a good option to take at No. 10.
The big question for the Predators heading into this draft is if and how the team’s draft strategy changes with new front office personnel. It could be that MacFarland goes in the more chalk-like direction with his draft choices, or he could go a different direction based on personal philosophy.
That will be answered in a little over two weeks from now.
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Graham Baakko is a lead writer for both Nashville Predators On SI and Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as an intern for GamecockCentral.