All four selections for the Nashville Predators at the 2018 NHL Draft took place on day two.
The Preds selected two defensemen, one forward, and one goaltender at the draft, which was held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
"It was an interesting draft in the fact that we didn't have our first two picks, and then we traded our third pick," Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile said. "Everyone has to remember the reason why we are where we are is because we made some deals - for Kyle Turris and Ryan Hartman, for example - so we're really pleased with our big team. We were a little short on picks, but all in all I think we're going to be fine. I think our guys did as well as possible and were very organized in terms of who we thought would be available in the later rounds."
The Preds did not have a selection in the first and second rounds. They traded a third-round pick to Florida in exchange for their third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Here’s a look at the four selections:
1.) Fourth Round: Jachym Kondelik(Forward, from Hanover, Germany)
- 111th overall pick
- 6’6’’ center
- Tallied 34 points in 44 games with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks last season
- Ranked 4th in 2nd season in the USHL
- Won the Gold Medal with the Czech Republic at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
- Posted six points in five games at the 2017 Under-18 World Championship
- Committed to play at the University of Connecticut for the 2018-19 season
2.) Fifth Round: Spencer Stastney(Defenseman, from Woodbridge, Illinois)
- 131st overall pick
- 5’10’’ blueliner
- Had 28 points in 57 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program last season
- Competed for the United States in the 2018 IIHF U-18 World Championship and had a goal and four assists in seven games
- Committed to play at the University of Notre Dame in 2018-19 season
3.) Fifth Round: Vladislav Yeryomenko(Defenseman, from Mishutki, Belarus)
- 151st overall pick
- 6’ defenseman
- Comes from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, compiled 66 points and 58 penalty minutes in 125 career games
- Led all defensemen on his team in points with 41 in 2017-18, a 16-point improvement from his rookie WHL campaign
- Represented Belarus at the 2018 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and posted a goal and three assists in six games
4.) Seventh Round: Milan Kloucek (Goaltender, from Pardubice, Czech Republic)
- 213th overall pick
- 20-year-old, 6’3’’ goalie
- Recorded a 2.25 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 10 games for the Czech Extraliga's HC Dynamo Pardubice last season
- Made his professional debut and had a .919 save percentage with Pardubice's junior club in 2016-17
The Preds’ top prospects, including several of this year’s picks, will participate in the 2018 Development Camp that opens on Monday and runs through Friday in Nashville.
For more information on these picks and the Preds’ season, visit them online.
