SB Nation - Chet Pickard

Monday's news: Preds prospect Pickard a promising puckstopper

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:52:45 -0000

It's going to be a busy week for the Nashville Predators, with four games on tap starting tonight in Columbus. But before we get to that...

I just canceled my Tennessean subscription this morning, and I encourage all Nashville Predators fans to do the same. In case you missed it over the weekend, Saturday morning's paper ran another one-sided diatribe against the team, stringing together a few facts and a lot of innuendo to paint them as a financial basket case.

After the jump, we've got your morning news and notes!

Predators News

Predators' prospect Pickard a goalie on the rise - NHL.com
After a shaky start, Chet Pickard is playing well for Milwaukee.

Preds On The Glass: Weekend Round Up and Podcast News
Buddy's been hitting the airwaves a lot yesterday, with guest appearances on two podcasts.

Preds Blog-Off (Round 3) - The NHL Arena
The NHL Arena's blog-off continues with a Round 3, pitting Preds On The Glass, The View From 111, and Pull My (Fang) Finger against each other for Nashville supremacy. Or will there be a Round 4? No matter the case, apparently my negative campaigning failed to pay off.

Wings Give Nashville the ‘Finger " Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ chronicles the down, then up, then down again drama of Saturday's Red Wings game.

Kevin Klein earns ice time with consistent play - The Tennessean
John Glennon writes about how Kevin Klein has stepped up to become a major force on the Predators' blueline. Between he and Francis Bouillon, the team has ably filled the gap left by Greg Zanon.

Around the NHL

Referee performs on-ice CPR, saves player's life - Puck Daddy
Wow, I hope this ref at least got recognition as 1st Star of the Game...

Hockey On Paper: The Chicago Situation - What's an Eltdown?
We know that significant players will have to be sent out of town by the Blackhawks as they try to stay under the salary cap, but which will it be?

Jackets notebook: Fight leaves Dorsett with broken hand | BlueJacketsXtra
Just when they got their spark plug back in the lineup, Columbus loses Derek Dorsett to an injury suffered in a fight Saturday night.

A Bad Boy Grows Up – the Hard Way " Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ looks at how Todd Bertuzzi has changed, and yet not changed, over the years.

Which is the Best Division in the NHL? | Hockey From the Cheap Seats
So much for all the projections for the Central to be the toughest division in hockey...

It's the NHL Where Dollars Buy the Most Wins - WSJ.com
An interesting study is noted by the Wall Street Journal this morning, but it's deeply flawed in that it looks at the 2000-8 timespan; it would be more appropriate to focus solely on the post-lockout era, reflecting the current salary cap.

Who Should Light The Cauldron At Opening Night Of Olympic Games In Vancouver? - Nucks Misconduct
Speculation that local hero Trevor Linden might be involved in the opening ceremonies has started a lively debate as to who should carry the torch.

"Is the President 90 feet tall?" - mc79hockey.com
An interesting back and forth with agent Jay Grossman about Nikolai Khabibulin, whose 4-year contract has come under criticism in Edmonton.

Capitals Insider - Caps working on deal to move Nylander (Updated)
This has gotta hurt; Washington is looking to stash Michael Nylander and his $5.5 million salary in the AHL just to clear up cap room.

Down Goes Brown: Signs your hockey player husband might have sixteen mistresses
Great stuff from the funniest hockey blog in captivity.

Goalie Martin Gerber suffers significant neck injury in KHL - Puck Daddy
"Significant" is an understatement; after a collision in a KHL game, former NHL goalie Martin Gerber is expected to be hospitalized for an extended time due to a fractured vertebra.

James Taylor and Daniel Powter scheduled to sing National Anthems at Winter Classic - Stanley Cup of Chowder
The headline says it all...

Mike Modano Interview - Hockey Independent
A Dallas blogger gets an interview with the long-time Star, which touches momentarily on that fateful night in Nashville when he set the American NHL goal-scoring record.

Should Don Cherry lead fight against hits to the head? - Puck Daddy
An interesting question, along the lines of "it took Nixon to go to China."

Latest on Ice Edge's bid for Phoenix Coyotes, Ilya Kovalchuk talks, Olympic rosters - ESPN
Pierre LeBrun's latest touches on a number of issues, including a small note about the NHL looking at the future of digital media. I really like what the league has done in recent years on this front, and look forward to seeing where they'd like to head next (an indexed library of historical online video would be great, for example).

Lastly, what better way to start your work week than with a little Hot Stove action?

Nashville Predators assign 10 players to Milwaukee

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:28:13 -0000

The training camp roster is now down to 34 players, after cuts made today by the Nashville Predators.

Nashville, Tenn. (September 19, 2009) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned 10 players to the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). Nashville's training camp roster now sits at 34 players: 21 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders.

Forwards Hugh Jessiman, Ryan Maki, Ian McKenzie and Mark Santorelli, defenseman Robert Dietrich and goaltenders Chet Pickard and Jeremy Smith were assigned to the Predators primary developmental affiliate, while defensemen Scott Ford, Mark Matheson and Russ Sinkewich were released from Professional Tryout Agreements, and will head to Milwaukee on minor league contracts.

No big surprises here (note that Mark Santorelli got sent down, not his brother Mike, who is trying to earn a Top Six winger job).

Thursday's notes: Celebrating the NHL CBA, and a goaltending mess on Long Island

Dirk Hoag — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:06:39 -0000

This morning's news includes a look at the negotiations between the Nashville Predators and some of their restricted free agents, an unusual goaltending situation for the New York Islanders, and a special look at what free agent signee Ben Eaves can bring to the Preds.

All this and more after the jump...

Preds' recent signings could offer leverage - Tennessean.com

John Glennon wonders out loud whether the recent signings of guys like Ben Guite and Peter Olvecky might put pressure on Cal O'Reilly and Ryan Jones to get their deals done.

The NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement turns four - Nashville Predators Examiner

Break out the cupcakes and candles, the NHL's CBA is four years old today! You'd think potty training would be a done deal by now, but no...

Biron signing proof DP ain’t close | The Battle of New York

Yesterday, the NY Islanders signed goaltender Martin Biron to a one-year contract, despite already having signed Dwayne Roloson for 2 years, and having Rick DiPietro under an absurd 15-year contract. The implication drawn from Biron's signing is that DiPietro's health is still a major concern.

I MEAN, WE GOT GUYS...: Olie and Stu's Desert Bash

Olaf Kolzig recently hosted a golf tournament to benefit the Carson Kolzig Foundation, a charity dedicated to assisting families affected by autism, and Nashville prospect Chet Pickard was among many past, present, and future NHL'ers to take part.

How KHL clubs woo NHL free agents - From The Rink

James Mirtle gets some insight as to why the KHL is proving so attractive to many marginal NHL players (like Radek Bonk). In an uncertain market, some of the offerings of Russian hockey, like tax-free status, become difference-makers. The timing of the KHL season, which has some training camps opening this week, also plays a role as players vie for a limited number of available roster spots.

Nashville Predators: The Official Web Site

The Preds have launched a redesign of their official website, so stop by and take a look.

Hockey > Baseball | Pucks Gone Wild

Just in case you ever doubted, we have "10 Reasons Why Hockey Is Better Than Baseball".

Lastly, we have a look at what Ben Eaves, who signed with the team recently after playing the last few years in Finland, might be able to add to the Predators organization. This is Music City we're talking about, after all...

Ok, there are some on-ice highlights available for him, too.

The fans come out in droves, and Geoffrion closes out Development Camp in a shootout

Dirk Hoag — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:54:48 -0000

The waning moments of the last public practice of the Nashville Predators Development Camp featured a shootout competition between the Blue and Gray squads. Hometown hero Blake Geoffrion (of nearby Brentwood, TN) closed out the festivities with a nifty backhand roof shot after the goaltenders stoned a number of shooters, in front of an energetic crowd at Nashville's Centennial Sportsplex.

After the jump you'll find the video presentation summarizing today's events, and a recap on some of the great hockey conversation that was had. I brought my newspaper, thinking that there would be lulls in the action during which I could do some reading, but I never had the chance to open the darned thing. Nashville's hockey fans are ready for September to be here, and excited about a youth movement that appears to be underway.

So who was there? Well, from the blogging side of things, just about everybody. There were Buddy & Jackson from Preds on the Glass, Jeremy & Codey from Section303.com, Paul & Brandon from Hockeybuzz, Paul Nicholson (well known around Nashville on Twitter, but also stretching the blog muscles occasionally at Geek Thoughts), and I think I saw Rachel from What the Puck, but didn't get the chance to stop by and say hi. I also got the chance to meet Jim Diamond of the Nashville Predators Examiner, who wrote a great piece recently on Nick Oliver, the 4th-round pick who played for his father on a state-championship high school team.

There were also a host of fans who I know best from all the conversation on Twitter (where you can find me at @Forechecker), like George Scoville (@stackiii), who played such a prominent role in organizing the Nashville NHL Tweetup on the first night of the playoffs, and is moving to Washington D.C. in the fall. We, as a Predators fan base, fully expect George to make us proud when the Preds make a road trip to play the Capitals this upcoming season by giving us a YouTube-worthy moment (actually that was a guy I used to work with, I'm in the back of that video in the Swedish national jersey).

Then you had Mike Barnes, the amateur videographer who posted another couple segments of video from today's session. At the tail end I even got to have a great conversation with TV play-by-play man Pete Weber, a walking encyclopedia of hockey history that every Preds fan should take the opportunity to meet when they have the chance. Pete agreed with me that the exciting thing about the youth movement taking place this season is that the younger players are only being expected to come in to fill roles on the 3rd and 4th lines up front, and on the 3rd pair on defense. Last fall, you had Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones on the 1st and 2nd lines, and that's just too much to ask of kids facing their first NHL campaign. This time around, they'll have a bit more seasoning, and the expectations should be more appropriate.

So many questions swirl around the roster that will come out of training camp this fall, and instead of the last two seasons which saw first a salary purge and then a defection, there's genuine anticipation and an upbeat atmosphere about what the future holds for Nashville. Here are just a few of the questions which had tongues wagging:

Can't we just declare Joel Ward the 2nd-line winger, go with a "kid line" as the 3rd, using the money free up to sign a defenseman?
What are Chet Pickard's prospects for stepping in at Milwaukee and earning the #1 job ahead of Mark Dekanich? In the event of injury, might Pickard be the guy called up to Nashville as a backup?
Who's going to center the 3rd line coming out of training camp? Cal O'Reilly, Mike Santorelli, or Colin Wilson?
Could the Preds actually go with 3 rookies on the blueline?
How freaking big will Zach Budish (6'3", 229 lb at 18 years old) get?
Is Nick Spaling ready to step up to the NHL level?
Where are all these goalies going to fit? Hint: Jeremy Smith, who stood out this morning, may go back for one more year with the OHL's Niagara IceDogs*,or possibly the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones.
How rough will the schedule be, considering the two-week Olympic break that gets wedged into the same overall timetable? We'll find out more on Wednesday when the 2009-10 Regular Season schedule gets released.

You can debate all these questions and more over the coming weeks, we've certainly got some time to fill until training camp opens in September!

*Thanks to Pete Krupsky of the Plymouth Whalers for correcting me with the note that Smith was traded from Plymouth to Niagara last season.

Weekend notes: Predators prospects heading to the AHL, Red Wings and Russians battle over Hudler

Dirk Hoag — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:57:16 -0000

Just in time for your morning coffee before you head down to Centennial Sportsplex to catch the last of the on-ice sessions in the Nashville Predators Development Camp (starting at 9:45), I've got your news & notes...

Two top Predators prospects look to polish games in Milwaukee - The Tennessean
John Glennon profiles Jonathan Blum and Chet Pickard as they prepare for their first full season of AHL hockey, and he's got all the details on how you could be part of the 2009-10 Liquid Ice Girls...

NHL, IIHF contest Jiri Hudler’s Russian deal - Detroit Free Press
An interesting battle is shaping up between the Red Wings and the KHL. The Red Wings contend that since Jiri Hudler filed for salary arbitration, he is contractually bound to the team and should not be allowed to sign with Moscow Dynamo.

Winter Classic to likely be made official on Wednesday - TSN
The NHL will announce on Wednesday that the 2010 Winter Classic (which is developing into a wonderful New Year's Day tradition) will be held at Fenway Park, with the Boston Bruins hosting (it is speculated) the Philadelphia Flyers or the Washington Capitals.

Hockey Summer Reading List - Stanley Cup of Chowder
SB Nation's Boston Bruins blog brings you a list of books to fill the time until training camp opens in September.

Context on ice: Penguins fans get mobile extras - Computerworld
The IT trade magazine picks up on a bold use of technology in Pittsburgh - making live-action video available to fans via smartphones and other mobile devices.

Kwiatkowski Returning to Russia After His Atlanta Deal Is Found Invalid - Slap Shot Blog - NYTimes.com
Interesting news out of Atlanta, where the Thrashers signed defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski to a contract, only to find that he already had a commitment to a KHL team. Atlanta did the right thing by rescinding the offer, and Kwiatkowski will play next season for St. Petersburg. Now if only the Russians could demonstrate that respect for a written contract works both ways...

Has goalie Drew MacIntyre signed with the Atlanta Thrashers?

Dirk Hoag — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:22:46 -0000

While there hasn't been any official announcement, it appears that goaltender Drew MacIntyre, who played 55 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season with a 34-15-4 record, has signed with the Atlanta Thrashers organization. Kudos to the guys at Admirals Short Shifts for noticing this first, and The Falconer for pointing out via email that this isn't an uncommon practice in Atlanta, as last year they would wait and issue a press release covering 3-4 minor signings like this.

Presumably, this sets the table for Mark Dekanich to be the #1 guy at Nashville's AHL affiliate while Chet Pickard joins the team in a backup role.

Nashville Predators announce roster and schedule for development camp

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:59:32 -0000

The Nashville Predators announced details of their Developmental Camp which begins on July 7 at Centennial Sportsplex, with a host of prospects coming to Nashville for a series of workout sessions that include on-ice practices which are open to the public. The list of attendees doesn't spell out, as of yet, which 2009 draftees will attend the camp, but last year we got our first look at Colin Wilson and Chet Pickard in Preds gear, so stay tuned for further details in the days ahead.

After the jump, everything you need to know about who's coming to camp, and when you can see them in action...

The Nashville Predators will have many of their top prospects in town this week when they officially open their 2009 Developmental Camp on Tuesday, July 7 at Centennial Sportsplex with fitness testing. The camp continues through Sunday, July 12 with the first of three on-ice sessions coming at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8.

   The purpose of the camp is to educate and direct players in their pro development and conditioning programs, and the week's events will be presided over by the Predators coaching staff.  Strength and Conditioning Coach David Good will lead the scheduled training regimen, which includes a variety of dry-land activities and workouts, on-ice fundamentals work, off-ice testing and team-building activities.  The players will also receive instruction on training principles such as sport-specific power and strength enhancement, flexibility and off-ice conditioning.

            Coaches and members of the Predators' player development/scouting staff will be assisted by Milwaukee Admirals (AHL affiliate) head coach Lane Lambert and assistant coach Brad Lauer as well as Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL affiliate) coach Chuck Weber. Martin Gelinas, Nashville's new Director of Player Development, is also scheduled to aid in the week's activities.

In addition to 17 Predators picks from 2005-08 and several free-agent signees or invites, the camp will feature a number of Nashville's selections from the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, including first-round selection Ryan Ellis (11th overall).

            All on-ice workouts at Centennial Sportsplex are open to the public. On-ice sessions are currently scheduled for:

            Wednesday, July 8                                    10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

            Thursday, July 9                                       10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

            Saturday, July 11                                      9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

            The preliminary roster of attending players is below. Both the schedule and roster are subject to change.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2009 DEVELOPMENT CAMP ROSTER

Forwards

Height

Weight

Shoots

Place of Birth

Birthdate

2008-09 Team

Ryan Flynn

6-2

214

R

St. Paul, Minn.

3/22/88

U. of Minnesota (WCHA)

Blake Geoffrion

6-1

191

L

Plantation, Fla.

2/3/88

U. of Wisconsin (WCHA)

Jani Lajunen

6-1

174

L

Helsinki, Finland

6/16/90

Espoo (Finland)/Espoo Jr. (Fin-Jr.)

Ian McKenzie

6-5

223

R

Weyburn, Sask.

5/23/87

Milwaukee (AHL)/Cincinnati (ECHL)

Ben Ryan

5-11

190

R

Detroit, Mich.

10/16/88

U. of Notre Dame (CCHA)

Mark Santorelli

6-1

191

R

Burnaby, B.C.

8/6/88

Milwaukee (AHL)/Cincinnati (ECHL)

Nick Spaling

6-1

187

L

Palmerston, Ont.

9/19/88

Milwaukee (AHL)

Taylor Stefishen

5-11

170

R

North Vancouver, B.C.

8/15/90

Ohio State University (CCHA)

Ryan Thang

5-11

190

R

Chicago, Ill.

5/11/87

U. of Notre Dame (CCHA)

Casey Wellman**

6-0

174

R

Brentwood, Calif.

10/18/87

Umass-Amherst (H-East)

Colin Wilson

6-1

213

L

Greenwich, Conn.

10/20/89

Boston University (H-East)

Defense

Height

Weight

Shoots

Place of Birth

Birthdate

2008-09 Team

Jonathon Blum

6-1

177

R

Long Beach, Calif.

1/30/89

Vancouver (WHL)

Jeffrey Foss

6-2

208

R

Fargo, N.D.

12/12/88

R.P.I. (ECAC)

Roman Josi

6-1

185

L

Bern, Switzerland

6/1/90

Bern (Switzerland)

Teemu Laakso

6-1

201

R

Tuusula, Finland

8/27/87

Milwaukee (AHL)

Russ Sinkewich*

6-3

214

R

Westlake, Ohio

9/21/85

Bowling Green (CCHA)/Milwaukee (AHL)/

Lake Erie (AHL)/Johnstown (ECHL)

GOALTENDER

Height

Weight

Catches

Place of Birth

Birthdate

2008-09 Team

Atte Engren

6-1

194

L

Rauma, Finland

2/19/88

TPS Turku (Finland)/K-Vantaa (Finland-2)/

TPS Turku-Jr. (Fin.-Jr.)

Anders Lindback

6-6

198

L

Gavle, Sweden

5/3/88

Brynas (Sweden)/Brynas Jr. (Sweden Jr.)

Chet Pickard

6-2

210

L

Moncton, N.B.

11/29/89

Tri-City (WHL)

Jeremy Smith

6-0

168

L

Dearborn, Mich.

4/13/89

Niagara (OHL)/Plymouth (OHL)

* - denotes under contract with Milwaukee (AHL)

** - denotes free-agent invites

Prospect Notes

- The preliminary roster - which does not include 2009 draftees attending - features 17 draft picks from 2005-08, one free-agent signee (McKenzie), one player on an AHL contract (Sinkewich) and two free-agent invites (Pederson, Wellman). Of the 17 picks, three are first-rounders (Wilson, Blum, Pickard), four are second-rounders (Geoffrion, Spaling, Josi, Smith), two are third-rounders (Thang, Laakso), two are fourth-rounders (Ryan, Santorelli), one is a fifth-rounder (Stefishen), two are sixth-rounders (Flynn, Foss) and three are seventh-rounders (Lajunen, Engren, Lindback).

- Ten of the 17 skaters played college hockey last season. Wilson won a NCAA title with Boston U., while Ryan and Thang played on a Notre Dame team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the 2008-09 season.

- Josi led all Led all Swiss League junior players (under-20) in points, goals and assists last season playing on a Bern team that also featured new Predators Director of Player Development Martin Gelinas.

- Three attendees won major awards last season - Blum was named 2009 Canadian Hockey League Jack Link's Defenseman of the Year, Pickard won the Del Wilson Trophy as the Western Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Wilson was USA Hockey's College Player of the Year in addition to being one of three Hobey Baker "Hat Trick" Finalists.

- Blum, Smith, Geoffrion, Flynn and Wilson were teammates on the 2008 U.S. World Junior Championships team, while Blum and Wilson represented the red, white and blue again this past December/January.

- Free-agent invite Casey Wellman's father Brad played for the S.F. Giants, L.A. Dodgers and K.C. Royals from 1982-89. Wellman just finished his freshman season at UMass-Amherst. Invite Jody Pederson hails from the same small town in northwestern British Columbia as Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2009 ENTRY DRAFT CLASS

Rd

No

Forwards

Height

Weight

Shoots

Place of Birth

Birthdate

2008-09 Team

2

41

Zach Budish

6-3

229

R

Edina, Minn.

5/9/91

Edina High School (Minn.)

3

70

Taylor Beck

6-2

205

R

St. Catharines, Ont.

5/13/91

Guelph (OHL)

3

72

Michael Latta

5-11

200

R

Kitchener, Ont.

5/25/91

Guelph (OHL)

4

98

Craig Smith

6-1

189

R

Madison, Wis.

9/5/89

Waterloo (USHL)

4

110

Nick Oliver

6-3

184

L

Grand Forks, N.D.

5/4/91

Roseau High School (Minn.)

5

132

Gabriel Bourque

5-9

183

L

Rimouski, Que.

9/23/90

Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)

7

192

Cameron Reid

6-2

185

L

Delta, B.C.

8/25/91

Westside (BCHL)

Defense

Height

Weight

Shoots

Place of Birth

Birthdate

2008-09 Team

1

11

Ryan Ellis

5-9

173

R

Hamilton, Ont.

1/30/89

Windsor (OHL)

2

42

Charles-OlivierRoussel

6-1

196

R

St. Eustache, Que.

9/13/91

Shawinigan (QMJHL)

4

102

Mattias Ekholm

6-4

194

L

Borlange, Sweden

5/24/90

Mora Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

Draftee Notes

- Four of Nashville's 10 draftees were born in a 21-day span in May 1991 - Nick Oliver (May 4), Zach Budish (May 9), Taylor Beck (May 13) and MichaelLatta (May 25). Mattias Ekholm was born May 24, 1990.

- The average size of the 10 draftees is 6-1, 194 pounds.

- Ryan Ellis was part of the 2009 Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires coached by former Predator defenseman Bob Bougner. Nashville's Expansion Draft selection from Buffalo, Boughner played 141 games with the club in 1998-99 and 1999-00, posting 19 points (5g-14a) and 234 penalty minutes. Ellis was also a teammate of 2008 Predators first-round pick Chet Pickard (18^th overall) on the Canadian World Junior Championships team that claimed gold. The 5-9, 173-pound blueliner won the 2009 Max Kaminsky Award as the OHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman.

- Charles-Olivier Roussel and Gabriel Bourque will participate in Canada's World Junior Development Camp for the 2010 World Junior Championships, while Zach Budish will attend the United States World Junior Evaluation Camp. Both take place in August.

- Zach Budish has committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2009-10 season after missing the 2008-09 campaign due to a knee injury. He will join 2006 Predator draftee Ryan Flynn on the Golden Gophers. Craig Smith will head to his hometown to play for the University of Wisconsin, joining 2006 draftee and Nashville native Blake Geoffrion. Nick Oliver is bound for St. Cloud State, and Cam Reid is headed to the University of New Hampshire.

- Taylor Beck and Michael Latta are teammates on the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. They were picked within three picks of each other, were born 12 days apart, and both also played in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game, as did Charles-Olivier Roussel.

Hockey's Future ranks Nashville Predators organization at #3

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:18:59 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Nashville Predators rookie forward Ryan Jones, center, is one of the factors cited in Hockey's Future ranking the Predators organization #3.

Browse more photos »

Hockey's Future Spring 2009 Organizational Rankings has Nashville Predators at #3:

Nashville drafts high-character prospects, who are self-driven. Weaknesses: An organization that used to be stocked with defensive prospects, that department looks comparatively bare as of late. While there is great forward depth along the wings, the system is thin at center.

For a team that has undergone a forced rebuild after the Great Salary Purge of 2007 and the defection of Alexander Radulov, it's good to read an analysis that speaks to a brighter future with Colin Wilson, Jonathan Blum, Cody Franson and Chet Pickard.

What will be most interesting to me this fall will be to see how some prospects who were asked to play a larger role than would typically be asked of them, given Nashville's typical patience with rookies (Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones in particular), will fare in their 2nd crack at the NHL.

Predators prospect on the rise - Chet Pickard

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:13:55 -0000

I've been very fortunate over the last few months to tap into some great guest bloggers for the scoop on prospects in the Predators organization, and today, Jennifer Hammer from I Mean, We Got Guys... brings us a look at Chet Pickard, the goaltender selected by Nashville with the 18th overall selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Chet just wrapped up his junior career with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (where he was named Goaltender of the Year), and has now joined the Milwaukee Admirals for their drive through the AHL playoffs. In addition to Jennifer's piece she also points us to this great interview conducted with Chet recently, as he watches the Admirals from the press box, and looks forward to competing for a roster spot in the fall.

So take it away, Jennifer...

When last I sent in info on Pickard it was back in early December. At the time of that writing, Chet was off at World Juniors camp, getting ready for the big tournament.

At WJC, Chet played against "minor" opponents Germany and Kazakhstan. Then, much to my personal dismay, Canada coach Pat Quinn went with WHL goalie rival, Dustin Tokarski. Sure, Chet got a gold medal also, but you know it stung with Tokarski playing most of the games.

Upon his return from WJC, Pickard was in a bit of a slump. Unfortunately, the WHL site won't let you see game by game stats. Regardless, he wasn't in true Pickard form, not that I really blame him after getting shunned in Ottawa. It was like he was (barely) going throught the motions, putting in his time until he could get out of Tri-Cities.

In February, Nashville goalie guru Mitch Korn headed to Tri-Cities to work with Chet (and backups Brett Martyniuk and Drew Owsley). I don't know what Korn said to him, but it worked. I imagine it was along the lines of "who cares if you have an entry-level contract, if you keep sucking at this level, you're not going to be in the Nashville system any time soon." Y'know, something along those lines.

In February Chet was voted Best Goaltender in the Best of the West poll, voted on by players in the Western Conference of the WHL.

At a game in Spokane on February 28, it happened--THE HIT. As a result of ~~being hit by a truck~~ getting run by Ryan Letts, Chet suffered a concussion and did not play again until the first round of playoffs, March 20. Based on his performance in the playoffs, I'm not confident he was completely healed from the concussion.

The Americans did end up with first place in the US Division. They faced the Everett Silvertips in the first round and ended the series in 5 games. He played well, the AMS were definitely the stronger team. Chet's timing was a little off the first 2 games, but overall had a good performance.

For the second round, the AMS squared off against the Kelowna Rockets, one of the hottest teams in the WHL the second half of the season. The Rockets are a larger, more physical team and used that physicality to their benefit. As a result, the injuries piled up. What did that mean for Chet? With players out with injuries lines and defensive pairings were shuffled, leading to miscommunications. It left Pickard very vulnerable on the back end. This is where I'm convinced he wasn't 100% after the concussion. Had he been, he would have been able to better withstand the barrage by the Rockets. He did well, had more than several pretty amazing saves. In the end, he was only one goalie with a broken, battered team in front of him, and possibly a still sore noggin.

The playoff loss upset poor Chetters, coach pulled him in the last game when they were losing and he was pretty grief-stricken on the bench. He holds himself to a very high standard and I'm sure he put a lot of (undue) blame on himself for the team being ousted from the playoffs. Plus he knew it was (probably) his last game in an AMS sweater. For four years Chet Pickard has proudly been a Tri-City American. He took advantage of every opportunity given to him, learning from being Carey Price's backup, working with co-owner Olie Kolzig, and constantly challenging himself to be a better goaltender. In April, and for the 2nd year in the row, he earned the honor of being WHL Goaltender of the Year.

I understand Chet's desire to move on, I mean, that is the ultimate goal (no pun intended). But I will admit it'll be tough not seeing him in net for the AMS any more. It's been an honor and a pleasure to see him mature as a goalie and as a person. In the near future, Milwaukee fans should start getting excited about having him as their goalie and then on to Nashville. I know he's chomping at the bit to get into the big show, but as evidenced with even the great Carey Price, you can't rush goalies. They just simply take a bit longer to develop, and that's fine. It'll be worth the wait Preds fans!

Thanks again to Jennifer for giving Nashville fans an update on a player we hope to see a great deal from in the coming years.

Predators Update, March 19 2009

Dirk Hoag — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:18:00 -0000

I'm moving slow after a hockey game last night (4-3 loss, scored once), but I can still crawl around the internet to dig up your Nashville Predators news this morning:

As I noted in the Game Thread yesterday, Puck Daddy's jumping on board the "Pekka Rinne for Calder Trophy" campaign. It's not quite a full-throated endorsement, but definitely calls into question the conventional wisdom that it's Steve Mason's award to lose.

The Tri-City Herald reports that 2008 1st-round draft pick Chet Pickard has been named a finalist for the Western Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year. 2007 1st-round pick Jonathan Blum also made the WHL's Western Conference All-Star team on defense.

Kevin Allen at USA Today talks about the challenging mathmatical juggling that goes on in calculating a team's playoff chances at this point, with plenty of input from Preds GM David Poile.

In another example of how sensational headlines create lingering misperceptions, Adrian Dater at the Denver Post, in an article about how the Colorado Avalanche might tap into NHL revenue sharing for the first time, says that:

In order to qualify for NHL revenue sharing this season, teams must average at least 14,000 in attendance. That has led at least one team — the Nashville Predators — to buy its own tickets at market price for some games in order to raise the average attendance. In effect, the Predators are paying themselves, then will receive money from financially better-performing teams.

I'd challenge Dater to provide any evidence that the Predators have done any such thing. In an interview with the Tennessean several weeks ago, David Freeman talked about some of the owners potentially buying tickets, but doubted that would be necessary. And owners, particularly since they have other businesses as well, frequently buy tickets to their own teams through those businesses. You don't think Comcast buys tickets to the Flyers?

Lastly, Defending Big D has a look at the Western Conference playoff race, including projections as to how each team must perform in order to reach the postseason.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2009 DEVELOPMENT CAMP ROSTER
Forwards	Height	Weight	Shoots	Place of Birth	Birthdate	2008-09 Team
Ryan Flynn	6-2	214	R	St. Paul, Minn.	3/22/88	U. of Minnesota (WCHA)
Blake Geoffrion	6-1	191	L	Plantation, Fla.	2/3/88	U. of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Jani Lajunen	6-1	174	L	Helsinki, Finland	6/16/90	Espoo (Finland)/Espoo Jr. (Fin-Jr.)
Ian McKenzie	6-5	223	R	Weyburn, Sask.	5/23/87	Milwaukee (AHL)/Cincinnati (ECHL)
Ben Ryan	5-11	190	R	Detroit, Mich.	10/16/88	U. of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Mark Santorelli	6-1	191	R	Burnaby, B.C.	8/6/88	Milwaukee (AHL)/Cincinnati (ECHL)
Nick Spaling	6-1	187	L	Palmerston, Ont.	9/19/88	Milwaukee (AHL)
Taylor Stefishen	5-11	170	R	North Vancouver, B.C.	8/15/90	Ohio State University (CCHA)
Ryan Thang	5-11	190	R	Chicago, Ill.	5/11/87	U. of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Casey Wellman**	6-0	174	R	Brentwood, Calif.	10/18/87	Umass-Amherst (H-East)
Colin Wilson	6-1	213	L	Greenwich, Conn.	10/20/89	Boston University (H-East)

Defense	Height	Weight	Shoots	Place of Birth	Birthdate	2008-09 Team
Jonathon Blum	6-1	177	R	Long Beach, Calif.	1/30/89	Vancouver (WHL)
Jeffrey Foss	6-2	208	R	Fargo, N.D.	12/12/88	R.P.I. (ECAC)
Roman Josi	6-1	185	L	Bern, Switzerland	6/1/90	Bern (Switzerland)
Teemu Laakso	6-1	201	R	Tuusula, Finland	8/27/87	Milwaukee (AHL)
Russ Sinkewich*	6-3	214	R	Westlake, Ohio	9/21/85	Bowling Green (CCHA)/Milwaukee (AHL)/
						Lake Erie (AHL)/Johnstown (ECHL)

GOALTENDER	Height	Weight	Catches	Place of Birth	Birthdate	2008-09 Team
Atte Engren	6-1	194	L	Rauma, Finland	2/19/88	TPS Turku (Finland)/K-Vantaa (Finland-2)/
						TPS Turku-Jr. (Fin.-Jr.)
Anders Lindback	6-6	198	L	Gavle, Sweden	5/3/88	Brynas (Sweden)/Brynas Jr. (Sweden Jr.)
Chet Pickard	6-2	210	L	Moncton, N.B.	11/29/89	Tri-City (WHL)
Jeremy Smith	6-0	168	L	Dearborn, Mich.	4/13/89	Niagara (OHL)/Plymouth (OHL)

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2009 ENTRY DRAFT CLASS
Rd	No	Forwards	Height	Weight	Shoots	Place of Birth	Birthdate	2008-09 Team
2	41	Zach Budish	6-3	229	R	Edina, Minn.	5/9/91	Edina High School (Minn.)
3	70	Taylor Beck	6-2	205	R	St. Catharines, Ont.	5/13/91	Guelph (OHL)
3	72	Michael Latta	5-11	200	R	Kitchener, Ont.	5/25/91	Guelph (OHL)
4	98	Craig Smith	6-1	189	R	Madison, Wis.	9/5/89	Waterloo (USHL)
4	110	Nick Oliver	6-3	184	L	Grand Forks, N.D.	5/4/91	Roseau High School (Minn.)
5	132	Gabriel Bourque	5-9	183	L	Rimouski, Que.	9/23/90	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
7	192	Cameron Reid	6-2	185	L	Delta, B.C.	8/25/91	Westside (BCHL)

		Defense	Height	Weight	Shoots	Place of Birth	Birthdate	2008-09 Team
1	11	Ryan Ellis	5-9	173	R	Hamilton, Ont.	1/30/89	Windsor (OHL)
2	42	Charles-OlivierRoussel	6-1	196	R	St. Eustache, Que.	9/13/91	Shawinigan (QMJHL)
4	102	Mattias Ekholm	6-4	194	L	Borlange, Sweden	5/24/90	Mora Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)