Author: Lady Preds

A Southern Girl with a Heart for Hockey!

Ekholm signs 6-Year Extension

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Image Source: Google Images

Ekholm must really, really like us because he just signed a six-year, $22.5M contract extension with the Nashville Predators organization. That’s huge, people. Mattias Ekholm is one of those players that shies away from the limelight, yet makes a significant impact that, without him, the Predators would be essentially up the creek without a paddle. At just 25-years-old, Ekholm has more than enough “hitch in his giddy-up” to extend the life of best defense in the league.

From the official presser released by the Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (October 26, 2014) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that restricted free agent defenseman Mattias Ekholm has signed a six-year, $22.5 million contract that carries an average annual value of $3.75 million.

Ekholm, 25 (5/24/90), has a goal and two assists in seven games in 2015-16, giving him 30 points (9g-21a) and 66 penalty minutes in 152 career games since the 2011-12 season. In his second full NHL campaign in 2014-15, the Borlange, Sweden, native doubled his rookie point total (7g-11a-18pts from 1g-8a-9pts), improved plus/minus rating by 20 points (+12 from -8) and increased his average ice time by more than two minutes (19:00 from 16:49). The 6-4, 215-pound blueliner also made his postseason debut last spring, suiting up for all six of Nashville’s Stanley Cup Playoff contests (+4), tying for the team lead in plus/minus rating and averaging 26:24 of ice time.

Nashville’s seventh choice, 102nd overall (fourth round), in the 2009 Entry Draft, Ekholm has represented Sweden in the past two World Championships, helping the Tre Kronor to a bronze medal in 2014, being named one of the nation’s three best players after tying for second (with Predators teammate Roman Josi) among tournament defensemen in points (2g-5a-7pts), while leading all Swedish skaters in average ice time (21:56). He also earned a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championship, tying for the tournament lead with a +10 rating, and helped the Tre Kronor win the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Predators Top Devils 3-1

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Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Three games into the young 2015-16 and the Predators are off to a great lead… but all three games thus far have been more or less sleepers. Should it be something to worry over or ignore since the W’s keep coming? There are a ton of arguments to be made here: for one, it’s just three games into the season; two, not all games are going to be nail-biters (and anxiety inducers); and three, the Predators are getting the job done nonetheless.

However, what happens when they do enter those nail-biters? The all-too familiar lethargic second and third periods are going to catch up to them sooner rather than later and hopefully, Nashville will be able to adapt and quickly. It may be one of those instances that we’ll just have to “cross that bridge” when we get there.

Looking at the positives, however, Roman Josi is proving why he is the most underrated defenseman in the NHL by notching two of Nashville’s goals tonight:
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/654077212921065472
May we also mention that Pekka Rinne picked up an assist on Josi’s second goal.
Eric Nystrom collected the third goal of the night on an empty-netter, shortly after Kyle Palmieri put New Jersey on the board.

The power play and penalty kill continue to impress, which is fantastic. But we don’t have to tell you that, because you already know.

Let us also not fail to mention that this was Mike Ribeiro’s 950th NHL career game. That, my friends, is a lot of games.

A brief post? Yes, sir. The Predators move on to New York to take on the Islanders Thursday night at 6pm. More goals in that game, perhaps? The fan in me says, “Hey, I don’t care how many goals they score as long as they come out with the two points.” The blogger in me says, “Yeah, but when is that going to bite them in the butt?”

Preds take Home Opener 2-1 over Canes

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Source: Sanford Myers/Getty Images

Ah, it’s good to be back, isn’t it? The Predators opened the 2015-16 at home last night against the Carolina Hurricanes and picked up the first of many (knock on wood) wins of this young season. Despite the win, the Predators looked a little less “on fire” during the second and third periods, which allowed the Hurricanes to make a comeback in shots-on-goal and in score. Here are some highlights from last night’s opener:

First Period:

Second Period:

  • No goals, but the pace was more like molasses for Nashville as the air was let out of the tires a bit. Carolina put on the pressure, but the Predators were able to maintain the 2-0 lead.

Third Period:

  • Again, the Hurricanes picked up the pace where the Predators left off and added even more pressure.
  • Eric Staal was able to inch one past Pekka Rinne at 18:20 with the extra man on the attack.
  • The last minute and a half was intense, but Nashville managed to keep Carolina from tying the game.

Overall, the Predators looked good during their season opener, but the “cooling of the jets” during the second and third periods could be worrisome. The defense stood tall against the Hurricanes and held them back, but I don’t know if Nashville could hold back a stronger team. The Oilers will take advantage of this easily on Saturday if the Predators don’t address it. The penalty kill looked fabulous last night and the powerplay is good as well. Improvements could be had here and there, but overall, I was pleased.

The Predators are back at it tomorrow at 6PM as they welcome in the Edmonton Oilers. The first 10,000 fans wearing gold will get a golden foam helmet! Whoop!

Preds Release Opening Night Roster

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opening night

Yesterday afternoon, the Predators released the finalized 23-man roster for the 2015-16 NHL season. Without further ado, here are your Nashville Predators:

FORWARDS

Smith

Forsberg

Arvidsson

Bourque

Fisher

Gaustad

Hodgson

Neal

Nystrom

Wilson

Ribeiro

watson

51(1)

DEFENSE

Bartley

Bitetto

Ekholm

Ellis

Weber

Josi

Jackman

Jones

GOALIES

Rinne

Hutton

 

So, are you surprised by who made  the roster? We certainly are happy to see that Austin Watson made the cut, as that kid has been working something hard in the AHL. The same can be said for Viktor Arvidsson, who is definitely ready for his light to shine this season.

The 2015-16 NHL season opens tonight with the Maple Leafs vs. the Canadiens, the Blackhawks vs. Rangers, the Flames vs. the Canucks, and the Kings vs. the Sharks. However, Nashville opens the season tomorrow at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Preds reveal ASW Winter Park Logo, Set to Open Dec. 12th

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Image Source: Brooks Bratten, Nashville Predators

With just two days to go before they open the 2015-16 season at home against the Carolina Hurricane, the Nashville Predators revealed some much anticipated information regarding the NHL All-Star Weekend.

Unveiled late this morning outside of Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Predators released the All-Star Weekend Winter Park logo, which will sponsored by Bridgestone (makes sense). Along with the sweet logo, the organization also released some details regarding the fun:

At the Walk of Fame Park, the site where the Winter Park will be held in conjunction with the 2016 NHL® All-Star Weekend, the Nashville Predators, Nashville Sports Council and Bridgestone Americas debuted the logo of the event that is now two months away.

The Winter Park will feature an ice rink, concert stage and family-focused activities, which will help to bring the excitement of the NHL’s showcase event outdoors for the community at large to enjoy. Predators CEO Jeff Cogen said the Park will also help to kick off the festivities weeks before the All-Star Weekend on Jan. 30-31, with the Park scheduled to open on Dec. 12.

Click here to read the entire press release from the Preds.

Festivities begin December 12th, which means the All-Star Weekend is almost here!

Preds reveal Gold Helmets; Reactions are Expected

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Image Source: Preds.NHL.com

The Predators main color is gold – everyone knows this. But where does one draw the line on the amount of gold needed? The franchise had mentioned several times in the recent past that gold helmets were in the realm of possibilities for this upcoming season and the first pictures of them came out in early August. Questions were raised then, but we all figured, “Let’s wait until we see it on a player”.

BEHOLD THE GOLDEN HELMET (on a player)

The tweet above was the first (that I saw) go out to announce the new, festive color change. Personally, I am not sure how I feel. Do I like them? Not particularly. Do I hate them? No, not really. As most can recall, the fan base didn’t jump on board with the gold jerseys right away, either. It took some growing time. Shortly after posting this first picture, the Predators posted a clearer, better lit photo of Colin Wilson sporting the new helmet:

…But fans and bloggers alike weren’t sold and took to Twitter to voice their opinions:

https://twitter.com/kjerk/status/649318553401827328

https://twitter.com/Miller_HighLite/status/632239479168847872

Nothing too terrible (and trust me, I searched “preds” & “helmets” on Twitter and when you search for anything on Twitter, you are asking for trouble), but for the most part the consensus is dislike. However, it was mentioned that these may look good on the white away jerseys, which I agree.

But don’t freak out if you are a fan of the navy helmets. These golden beauties are only going to be out and about during Saturday home games this season. So take a deep breath.

Three Notable Names on Preds Roster Cut

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Image Source: Google Images

What’s up, everybody? Yes, it is still preseason for me, too; I am working on getting back into the flow of posting after a long off-season hiatus. So what’s been going on: Well, the Predators are down to their final preseason game, which comes up this Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then? Well, then the real fun begins. But before the season can officially kick-off, the Predators need to reduce the roster and, after Kevin Fiala was sent down to Milwaukee, it was interesting to see who else would be joining him.

Well, it looks like Colton Sissons, Steve Moses, and Juuse Saros will be joining Fiala for the time being. Moses comes as the biggest surprise from this latest cut, as 9 out of the 12 of us joining in on the On the Forecheck “Ask the Staff” post agreed that he’d be the one with the most ice time out of him, Gabriel Bourque, Eric Nystrom, Austin Watson, and Kevin Fiala.

Of course, as the organization explained in the reasoning behind Fiala being cut, I believe Moses will have more of an opportunity to develop while with the Admirals and will have more of a leadership role, which will make him prime pickings for filling in a roster spot in Nashville. Or, as Laviolette put it so sweetly:

The Predators roster is now set at 25 – fifteen forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. You can see the current roster here.

Trevor Murphy signs ELC with Preds

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Image Source: OHL

The Predators kicked off training camp today and went ahead and signed Trevor Murphy to a three-year, entry-level contract while they were at it. Here’s the official word from the Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (September 17, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Thursday that the team has signed defenseman Trevor Murphy to a three-year entry-level contract.

Murphy, 20 (7/17/95), has spent the past four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League split between the Peterborough Petes (2011-12) and the Windsor Spitfires (2012-15), amassing 140 points (42g-98a) and 296 penalty minutes in 235 games. Serving as an alternate captain for his hometown Spitfires in 2014-15, the Windsor, Ont., native ranked third among OHL defensemen in goals (24), tied for fourth in points (63) and ranked fifth in assists (39). The 5-10, 175 pounder was also one of just two OHL blueliners to post at least 40 points and 100 penalty minutes during the campaign.

A teammate of Predators forward Austin Watson with Peterborough in 2011-12, Murphy attended Predators Development Camp in July, Rookie Camp last week, and is currently in attendance at Training Camp.

Murphy has some pretty stout numbers for a defenseman with the OHL, so it’s no surprise the Predators want to see how he fairs in the minors with Milwaukee. I’d say he is definitely worth keeping an eye on for sure.

 

2015-16 Training Camp Schedule

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snowflake

We are just under one week until hockey hits the Music City for the 2015-16 season! Well, pre-season, anyway… but with pre-season comes regular season just around the corner! I’m sure you are just happy to have hockey back, am I right? Anyways, the schedule and roster for the Preds 2015-16 training camp was released last week and, being the slow off-season blogger that I am, here it is in all its glory. Hey, I have it for you in plenty of time!

For those of you who don’t want to open the .PDF files, camp starts this Thursday, September 17th with the first on-ice practice starting Friday, September 18th at 9:35AM (Centennial Sportsplex). Now, all practices are open to the public, but locations, times, etc. are subject to change, so make sure to check out the official Predators social media before heading out. Also, don’t forget that the Skate of the Union will be held September 26th at Ford Ice Center in Antioch.

Preds Rookie Camp Details

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1400679827980

Image Source: Google Images

Happy last Friday of August, everyone! As this month comes to a close, we are just a few weeks from the most glorious time of the year converging amongst us! But first, let’s talk Rookie Camp, which opens on Thursday, September 10th. Here’s a little info from the Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Friday that Nashville Predators prospects will report to town on Thursday, Sept. 10 before heading to Estero, Fla., the following day for a Rookie Tournament against teams from the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals from Sept. 12-15 at Germain Arena.

The Predators team, comprised of signed and unsigned draft picks, free-agent signings and free-agent tryouts, will be coached by Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) Head Coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Stan Drulia. Among the 24 players scheduled to participate are first-round pick Kevin Fiala (11th overall in 2014), second-round selections Pontus Aberg (2012), Jack Dougherty (2014), Vladislav Kamenev (2014) and Yakov Trenin (2015), as well as goaltending prospect Juuse Saros making his North American professional debut.

The games and camp will precede the opening of 2015 Training Camp, which occurs Sept. 17, with physicals and team meetings. The Predators’ first day on the ice will be Friday, Sept. 18 at Centennial Sportsplex and they will play six preseason contests from Sept. 20-Oct. 3, including four at home (Sept. 20 vs. Florida (doubleheader), Sept. 23 vs. Tampa Bay and Sept. 29 vs. Columbus).

And now, onward to the schedule of events:

  • Thursday, September 10th – Centennial Sportsplex – 1PM
  • Friday, September 11th – Centennial Sportsplex – 10AM
  • Saturday, September 12th – Germain Arena – 7PM (Game against Tampa Bay’s prospects)
  • Sunday, September 13th – Germain Arena – 2PM (Game against Florida’s prospects)
  • Tuesday, September 15th – Germain Arena – 9AM (Game against Washington’s prospects)

Listed in bold are the practices that you can attend. I mean, if you are in Estero, Florida during these dates then by all means, get yourself to these rookie tournaments.