Preds Value Player Development

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Nashville Predators Prospect Report - Nashville Predators - Features

Wednesday, 05.16.2012 / 7:01 AM / Features
By Doug Brumley - Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have a long history of developing players through a process that includes time spent playing as a member of the team’s top minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

In all but the rarest of cases, Nashville’s coaching staff and management adhere to a path for prospects that allows the young players to get their first professional hockey experience in the American Hockey League, not the National Hockey League.

The play of rookies Roman Josi, Gabriel Bourque and Ryan Ellis during the 2011-12 season served as a validation of that process. All started the season in Milwaukee and were called up to the parent club during the season. Once in Nashville, Josi collected 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) and a plus-1 rating in 52 regular season games, playing as one of the team’s top-four defensemen. Bourque posted seven goals and 12 assists in 43 Predators games before tying for the team lead in goals (3) during the playoffs. Ellis notched 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) and a plus-5 rating in 32 NHL games.

Thought it was a good read on the Predators development of youth hockey players.