Predators set development camp to prepare prospects for Milwaukee roles

Nashville’s development camp opened a first real sorting mechanism for the Milwaukee Admirals’ next wave, with the Predators using June 28 through July 3 to start separating long-term projects from players who could push toward AHL ice in 2026-27. Physicals opened the week, the first on-ice session followed June 29, and public practices were scheduled June 29 through July 2 at Centennial Ice Rink before the Future Stars Game at 10:30 a.m. CT on July 3 at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

Scott Nichol and David Good are leading the camp, and Nashville is treating it as more than a tune-up. The club said the purpose is to educate and direct players in their pro development and conditioning programs, with on- and off-ice testing, dry-land work, workouts, video sessions, media and nutrition education, team-building activities, and instruction in sport-specific power, strength, flexibility and off-ice conditioning. That matters in Milwaukee, where the Admirals remain the clearest path to Nashville and where the next call-up answers often come from players who have already absorbed the organization’s standards.

The most immediate names to watch are the newest draft picks. Nashville selected eight players in the 2026 NHL Draft, including four forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, and first-rounders Wyatt Cullen and Tommy Bleyl will be among the prospects taking their first turns in the organization’s system. Cullen, taken 10th overall, brings a center or wing look from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and the University of Minnesota commit track. Bleyl, chosen 31st, arrives as a defenseman after an 81-point season and a CHL Rookie of the Year season with Moncton, giving Nashville a blue-line project with offensive upside that could eventually fit Milwaukee’s top-four rotation.

The camp also sets the stage for the players already closest to the Admirals’ lineup picture. Nashville’s 2025 camp included Matthew Wood, Tanner Molendyk, Andrew Gibson, Egor Surin, Aiden Fink, Teddy Stiga, Cole O’Hara and David Edstrom, and that group showed how quickly camp can turn into a public showcase. Surin, Brady Martin, Wood, Gibson and O’Hara all flashed in the Future Stars Game last year, the kind of performance that helps separate future AHL regulars from everyone else.

Milwaukee’s role in that pipeline is hard to miss. Nashville recalled Reid Schaefer, Fedor Svechkov and Ryan Ufko from Milwaukee in March 2026, a reminder that Admirals development is already feeding the NHL roster. With the Future Stars Game open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, reserved seating for Smashville Loyal members, and a live stream on NashvillePredators.com and 102.5 The Game, this week gives the organization an early look at which prospects can handle the pace, detail and daily habits that lead to Milwaukee assignments and, eventually, Nashville call-ups.