One day before the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers & Tampa Bay Lightning arrive for the showcase the Nashville Predators rookies had one more practice to get ready.
Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor led the drills with an emphasis on clean transitions & attention to detail. A few drills later on were focused more on battles with a few teammates whether it was on offense or defense.
Forward Ozzy Wiesblatt is part of the group & has yet to make his NHL debut since being taken 31st overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2020 draft.
This season he hopes to change that.
“I feel like I had a really good end to the season last year & I have my game back to where I want it to be,” Wiesblatt said. “My goal is to make the team & nothing short of that.”
Wiesblatt has looked like an acclimated player after skating in both of his first practices in Nashville. He was loaned from the Sharks last season & Taylor was able to see him grow in the final stretch of their AHL season.
Now it’s about becoming the first Wiesblatt sibling to make his NHL debut as he continues chasing his dream.
“I think about that sometimes, It’s special for me but so many people have helped me along the way,” Wiessblatt said. “We were never the rich family growing up so a lot of families have stepped in & helped me.”
As the rookies all arrived in town it was defenseman Tanner Molendyk & forward Kalan Lind who were temporary residents at assistant general manager Scott Nichol’s house.
The two of them were also taking part in some informal skates when they got settled in.
“We played against each other all year & we’re pretty good buddies so it’s nice to be here for two weeks,” Molendyk said. “Getting to go skate with those guys was pretty special.”
Director of Team Services Brandon Walker was texting with Lind about the idea since the initial plan was to have him stay in a hotel.
“It was a pretty cool experience to be around the guys, getting to skate & workout to kind of experience the pro-life for a few weeks,” Lind said.
While in camp Lind wants to take full advantage of his power-forward style of play & showcase his hard-nosed mentality around the net. Every time he’s on the ice he does what he can to expose that part of his game.
This summer Lind said he tried to hit 4,200 calories a day. He was able to add some size but hopes to continue the habit as his development continues.
“It was my daily job, I was getting up and taking in calories at 2 a.m. and going back to bed then getting up to workout & then eat again,” Lind said. “If I was treat myself I’d go for some pizza, just a little greasy food in my system.”
Kalan Lind shared what his process was trying to add weight this summer & what his greasy favorite was. #Preds pic.twitter.com/3yF8LCzvOS
— Nick Kieser🏒 (@KieserNick) September 12, 2024
As for Molendyk, he wants to focus on improving his shot while he’s part of training camp. At development camp, he mentioned how he felt his weight was where it needed to be.
During practices & the scrimmage back in July Molendyk played with defenseman Andrew Gibson. It could be something to keep an eye on as the duo rise in the ranks.
“He’s a big boy but he’s smart with the puck & knows what to do before the puck even gets to him. It’ll be a fun weekend,” Molendyk said.
Nashville’s first game of the showcase is on Friday at 2 p.m. against the Florida Panthers. All three of the games over the next four days will be available via stream on the Predators website.
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