The Nashville Predators will have a top-five selection at the NHL Entry Draft for the first time in more than ten years. It comes at a time when the franchise needs a kickstart to its prospect pool but also when this draft class lacks a runaway generational talent. As Nashville strategizes how to use its three first-round picks, let’s take a look at three defenders that will likely go in the first round.
Cameron Reid | D | Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Projections are all over the place for Cameron Reid; some evaluators have him just outside of the top ten and some have him as a day-two pick. Regardless of what you think of his projectability as an NHL defender, there’s no denying how impressive he’s been in junior hockey. Reid has played two seasons with the Kitchener Rangers, debuting with two goals and 23 points last year; this season, he jumped up to 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games—tied for third in scoring on his team.
Reid, standing at 6’0″, is a strong skater with solid mechanics and good four-way agility. He’s not massive, but his skating gives him an advantage over bigger, slower opponents. There’s not much to complain about when it comes to Reid’s defensive zone positioning; he anticipates cycle movement and stays well situated between his man and the net. While his positioning is a positive, he’s not the most physical defender compared to some who prefer frequent cross-checks and stick lifts on their opponents. There are certainly some shift-to-shift inconsistencies—namely puck watching or just being muscled off possession—but Reid is nothing but trustworthy in his own end. In transition, the Ontario native attacks rushing puck carriers aggressively and wins plenty of battles but could improve his angles and pivot timing.
Moving up the ice, Reid puts his motor to work. He’ll make a quick, accurate first pass, or he can drive possession through the neutral zone with good stick handling abilities. I don’t think he’ll emulate Roman Josi in the NHL, but I see no reason why he can’t be a significant puck carrier for whoever drafts him.
In the offensive zone, Reid loves to activate; he pinches along the wall to stop clearing attempts, floats down into open ice when he can sense a scoring chance, and doesn’t retreat from the blue line too early, adding an extra layer of forechecking pressure against a breakout. He’s found success as a power-play quarterback for Kitchener, and I see him more as a distributor in the pros; his shooting skills are average, and his shot selection can be perplexing at times.
Reid likely projects as a middle-pair defender who can provide some offense, but his skating skills give him the best chance of making an NHL impact.
Radim Mrtka | D | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
I have little doubt that Radim Mrtka will be a top-ten pick at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a 6’6″ 17-year-old defender who is relatively fleet of foot; what more do I need to say? Mrtka started the season in his native Czechia, playing for HC Oceláři Třinec in the pro league and their U20 squad. After 21 games in Europe, Mrtka came to the WHL and burst onto the scene with three goals and 35 points in 43 games for the Thunderbirds. He further impressed with four points in five games at the 2025 U18 World Junior Championship.
It’s hard not to like Mrtka’s game when you watch his tape. For someone his size, he moves extremely well and even still, his leg extensions could be a bit more complete to generate more power. Not only does he move well when he gets settled; he’s fluid too. One thing I kept noticing was how smoothly Mrtka collects pucks in his own end and jumps immediately into his breakout. He starts his puck retrievals with plenty of pre-scanning, giving him a head start on opposing forecheckers. He’s not the transition talent Cameron Reid is, but Mrtka is still reliable, making tape-to-tape first passes or getting the puck deep in the offensive zone.
Defensively, Mrtka excels at mirroring puck-carrying opponents; he guides them into weak dump-ins or shuts plays down with confident gap closures. The towering defender is physical but not in a flashy way; he won’t lunge for massive open-ice hits but smothers opponents along the wall and pin forwards as his team recovers possession (with some less-than-desirable stick reaching here and there too).
Offensively, there’s work to be done. Mrtka shows flashes of offensive prowess, but his hands and shooting skills won’t stand out much in the NHL. He’ll also need to be quicker with his decision making and escapability to be a truly effective two-way defender.
It’s safe to guess Mrtka’s floor is a minute-munching, bottom-four defender who tilts the ice back in his team’s favor, but there’s a world where he becomes a Victor Hedman-like top-pair threat too. Whichever team takes a chance on him will be betting on the latter.
Kashawn Aitcheson | D | Barrie Colts (OHL)
If you don’t like watching Kashawn Aitcheson play hockey, then I’m not sure you like the game at all. He excites nearly every time he’s on the ice, and some shifts he looks exactly like you do trying all sorts of ridiculously cool moves in your driveway or at stick-and-puck. Aitcheson is a 6’1″ left-shot defender, who is one of the older prospects in this draft class. In his 64 games for the Barrie Colts this year, Aitcheson posted 26 goals and 59 points to lead his team.
Aitcheson is at worst an NHL average skater. He moves with power and smooth mechanics to truly cover all 200 feet of ice. His edgework can be a bit clunky here and there, but I think there’s a bit more explosiveness he can unlock too. Nothing demonstrates his skating skills more than how much he pulls himself out of position.
In the offensive zone, Aitcheson can often be confused for a fourth forward. He doesn’t just drift away from the blue line, he dive bombs the net front, hunts for open, back-door ice, and involves himself in his team’s cycles. If you watched every goal he scored this season, you’d see him standing roughly in the vicinity of the hashmarks half the time the puck hits the back of the net. Despite that, Aitcheson tracks back with amazing consistency. His leg power allows him to make plays mitigating breakouts and tracking down odd-man rushes regardless of how deep in the offensive zone he is.
Aitcheson’s rush defense isn’t as smothering as Mrtka’s, but he’s more of an old-school defender when it comes to his physicality, lining up puck-carriers for crushing open-ice hits. There are times when he pivots to close his gap against the board and misses, when he floats out of position off the puck, or when a skilled forward beats him with a complex deke, but Aitcheson makes dynamic plays at both ends of the ice every night. With some slightly improved decision making speed and anticipation, Aitcheson could truly be special in his transitions and scoring touch.
