Why the Nashville Predators could select a defenseman at No. 10 in 2026 NHL Draft
TL;DR
The Nashville Predators may choose a defenseman with the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, breaking their trend of selecting forwards. Historically, they have picked forwards in eight of the last nine drafts, with the only exception being a goaltender in 2020.
Key points
- Predators may select a defenseman at No. 10 in 2026 NHL Draft
- They have picked forwards in eight of the last nine drafts
- Yaroslav Askarov was the only goaltender selected in 2020
- Recent first-round picks include Brady Martin, Egor Surin, and Matthew Wood
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Why the Nashville Predators could select a defenseman at No. 10 in 2026 NHL Draft
Every year, the Nashville Predators try to find a game-changing forward in the draft.
Brady Martin at No. 5 overall last year. Egor Surin at No. 22 two years ago. Matthew Wood at No. 15 the year before that.
In eight of the last nine drafts, the Predators have selected a forward with their first pick in the draft. The only exception was goaltender Yaroslav Askarov in 2020.
But that could change this year.
"It happens to be one of those years where there's a lot of high-end defensemen at the top," Jeff Kealty, director of scouting, said on May 13.
Speaking to media at Bridgestone Arena, Kealty didn't commit to taking a particular position, but admitted that this year's crop of defensemen will be hard to pass up.
"(They have) a lot of those attributes that we talk about that are projectable to be top-four type (defensemen)," he said. "We'll see how it plays out, but certainly there's going to be a lot of defensemen."
Why the Predators might take a defenseman at No. 10 overall
Last year, the New York Islanders took defenseman Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 overall. He scored 23 goals and 36 assists and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
But after Schaefer, only two of the first 10 picks, and four of the first 20, were defensemen. The Predators selected Cameron Reid at No. 21 overall, the fifth defenseman taken in the draft.
This year should be very different. Elite Prospects ranks five defensemen in the top 10, and eight in the top 20, in their April ranking:
- No. 3: Chase Reid (Soo Greyhounds)
- No. 4: Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars)
- No. 6: Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
- No. 9: Alberts Smits (Jukurit)
- No. 10: Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders)
- No. 11: Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota)
- No. 12: Malte Gustafsson (HV71)
- No. 19: Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants)
The Predators select at No. 10 and head amateur scout Tom Nolan also indicated the team could be leaning that direction.
"It's a very deep draft in the top 15 for defensemen," Nolan said on May 13. "All of them bring a different type of skill set, but they all have size and are really good skaters. We're hoping that maybe one of them can fall to us."
Two names to keep an eye on are Rudolph and Verhoeff. Rudolph is a 6-foot-2, 203-pound, right-handed defenseman with outstanding offensive skills. He scored 28 goals and had 50 assists in 68 games for Prince Albert, adding nine goals and 14 assists in 15 playoff games. Verhoeff also has good size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and had six goals and 14 assists in his freshman season at North Dakota.
The Predators' top prospects on defense include Reid, Tanner Molendyk (No. 24, 2023), and Ryan Ufko (No. 115, 2021), but all three are slighter defensemen and listed as 6-foot or under. They could use more beef on the backend, and both Rudolph and Verhoeff fit that description.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators eyeing defenseman at No. 10 in the 2026 NHL Draft
Q&A
Why might the Nashville Predators select a defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft?
The Predators are considering a defenseman to diversify their draft strategy, as they have predominantly selected forwards in recent years.
Who are some recent first-round picks by the Nashville Predators?
Recent first-round picks include Brady Martin at No. 5 in 2025, Egor Surin at No. 22 in 2024, and Matthew Wood at No. 15 in 2023.
What has been the Nashville Predators' draft strategy in recent years?
The Predators have selected a forward with their first pick in eight of the last nine drafts, with the only exception being goaltender Yaroslav Askarov in 2020.
What position did the Predators select in their last nine drafts?
In their last nine drafts, the Predators have primarily selected forwards, with only one goaltender chosen in 2020.
