Pending a further trade, the Nashville Predators will pick three times in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Barry Trotz will head to the podium at picks 111, 115, and 121, hoping to procure some future NHL projects in a deep draft class.
Nashville’s 1st-Round Draft Board | Nashville’s 2nd-Round Draft Board
Nashville’s 3rd-Round Draft Board
Below is a look at six players Nashville could be considering for those three selections with a breakdown of what kind of game they would bring to the organization.
Carter Sotheran (D) | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) | 6’3″, 185 lbs. | PBR Rank: 48th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Pembina Valley Hawks U18 AAA | MU18HL | 41 | 20 | 34 | 54 |
| 2022-23 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 68 | 4 | 19 | 23 |
Carter Sotheran is a name I wasn’t too familiar with heading into this season. But in watching Luca Cagnoni, I couldn’t help but notice his partner many nights. Sotheran appears to have a better reputation among public scouts than NHL ones as he didn’t make Bob McKenzie’s final 2023 NHL Entry Draft ranking. With that said, I will continue to bang the table for this kid.
In his debut WHL season, he scored just four goals and 23 points in 68 games for the Portland Winterhawks, and his postseason wasn’t particularly stellar, appearing on the scoresheet just once in nine games. But the 6’3”, right-shot defender has so many tools that NHL teams covet, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t make it as a middle-pair guy one day.
Sotheran manages his defensive position very well. He’s not the most aggressive gap closer, but when he steps up, he maintains pressure well until his team has properly executed a breakout. He generally pivots well against rush chances and mirrors opposing puck handlers with ease. His skating mechanics are decent, and his edgework will improve with access to NHL-level coaches. Once opponents establish possession in his end, he can get to chasing the play a bit, losing his composure and throwing his body around willy-nilly; so more discipline in that department will be necessary.
Going the other way, Sotheran is really good in transition. He steps into passes from his partner, looking up the ice and pre-scanning the whole time. He makes solid first passes and pulls opponents in, delaying until just the right moment to release. His puck skills are solid, but his stickhandling under pressure can improve (so can his decision-making during puck retrievals). In the offensive zone, I love when he chooses to activate from the blue line, diving into high-danger areas after successfully reading which passing or shooting lanes are closing fast and which are opening. I don’t have a good read on where Sotheran ends up going (could be the 2nd round or could be the 6th), but if he’s available in the early 100s, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Tyler Peddle (F) | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) | 6’1″, 205 lbs. | PBR Rank: 89th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 65 | 17 | 18 | 35 |
| 2022-23 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 64 | 24 | 17 | 41 |
The Nashville Predators have not had a ton of historic success drafting forwards from the QMJHL. But, frankly, that could be more of a commentary on the league from which prospects have struggled to translate their high-end scoring to the NHL. Tyler Peddle isn’t a high-end scorer, and he likely won’t be one in the NHL either. But he does have a lot of tools that could make him an effective bottom-six contributor.
The 6’1” forward began his QMJHL career last year with 35 points in 65 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs; he followed that campaign up with 24 goals and 41 points in 64 games this season, finishing third on the team in scoring.
Peddle plays with a ton of noticeable pace. His skating mechanics are fine; he doesn’t have amazing speed, but he can play an impressive give-and-go style game. He loves to chase the puck, diving into any footrace and challenging for every puck along the boards, in the corners, off of neutral-zone turnovers, and more. Despite his tenacity toward the puck and his activity on the forecheck and backcheck, he demonstrates too much inconsistency in how he engages opposing puck carriers; his feet can sometimes quit when he goes to lunge with his stick.
Peddle has a decent amount of skill in his hands and could be a really creative passer in transition and in the offensive zone, but he does keep his head down while puck-handling at times. Besides his pace, Peddle’s most notable skill is his shot; he has a really impressive wrister and can use it effectively off the rush, from a standstill, and out of a cycle. Those are the two main skills that I think could carry him to an NHL career.
Tanner Adams (F) | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | 5’11”, 183 lbs. | PBR Rank: 96th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 62 | 12 | 20 | 32 |
| 2022-23 | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 49 | 12 | 21 | 33 |
| 2022-23 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I first took note of Tanner Adams’ game at last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup and came away from his 2022-23 season fairly impressed. After a 32-point campaign in the USHL in 2021-22, he scored 33 points this year in 13 fewer games for the Tri-City Storm; he also added five points in four games in the playoffs.
The New York-born forward, who’s headed to Providence College next year, plays a relatively simple game. His skating builds good power through complete extensions, and he covers lots of ice well despite lacking a high-end accelerating gear. On the forecheck and backcheck, he angles opponents well and adjusts on the fly, giving his teammates plenty of chances to pounce on turnovers and broken plays. He doesn’t win every footrace, but he wreaks a ton of havoc and forces a lot of giveaways with such a cerebral game.
Adams’ puck skills are fairly average. He could leverage a bit more strength behind his shot, and his puck handling could improve under pressure. He works hard in the corners and along the boards to out-muscle opponents, dropping his shoulder and protecting the puck well. With even quicker decision-making skills, he could be a really versatile depth piece.
Alex Pharand (F) | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) | 6’3″, 201 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2021-22 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 33 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 67 | 18 | 21 | 39 |
After Nashville hired Derek MacKenzie last week, there was a lot of chatter about Quentin Musty going to the Predators in the first round. That could happen, but I wouldn’t forget about his Sudbury Wolves teammate Alex Pharand either. The 6’3″ forward totaled just 14 points in his first OHL season but increased that to 39 in his first full season with his hometown team.
Pharand is big; he’s already got NHL size, and he uses it to full effect. His skating needs some work; he lacks consistent knee bend, and his crossover and accelerating steps are clunky, leading to a delayed reaction time in footraces. But he plays a similar game to Tanner Adams off the puck, bugging opponents with his stick and physicality on the forecheck and the backcheck. He’s a solid defensive winger, maintaining an active stick and good positioning to execute breakouts consistently. At the other end of the neutral zone, he struggles more and may not be a regular play driver in the NHL.
The major difference between Adams and Pharand is their puck skills. Pharand teases you with brilliant dekes and really impressive passes here and there, and I imagine those will be on display more frequently in the OHL next year. He also has a better shooting arsenal right now, including a deceptive snapshot and a cannon of a one-timer. I’m not sure how effective those tools will be in the NHL with less time and space, but I like Pharand’s defensive acumen enough to give him a chance.
Zachary Schulz (D) | U.S. NTDP (USHL) | 6’0″, 196 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | U.S. National U17 Team | NTDP | 51 | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 52 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
Zachary Schulz is a bit of a mystery to me. His stat line is uninspiring (22 points over 103 games during two seasons with the U.S. National Team), but every time I’ve watched him, I’ve come away noticing some projectable skill.
The captain of the United States’ U18 World Junior Championship (WJC) team, Schulz has some pros and cons to his skating. There’s a hop to his crossover steps that isn’t doing him many favors in terms of speed, but he skates hard, challenging every puck carrier. His backward skating is hindered a bit by his posture but overall his mobility is perfectly fine.
Schulz plays an aggressive game on every shift decisively closing gaps, smothering opponents along the boards, and timing his pivots well. He can get drawn out a bit by complex, layered zone entries, but that side of his game is very solid. He’s a decent puck handler and can execute D-to-D passes well but prefers to step into transitions and carry the puck out himself like Carter Sotheran. He doesn’t activate from the blue line as much, but I think the confidence is there to add more offense to his game at the University of Wisconsin next year.
Isac Hedqvist (F) | Luleå HF J20 (J20 Nationell) | 5’11”, 170 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2022-23 | Luleå HF J20 | J20 Nationell | 41 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
| 2022-23 | Luleå HF | SHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Luleå HF J18 | J18 Nationell | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Playing in the Luleå organization the past few years, Hedqvist has begun to turn heads thanks to a 34-point season in the J20 Nationell and a six-game call-up to the SHL. He’s the exact type of player teams should swing at in these middle rounds: good foundational skills, a high compete level, and some pro experience.
Hedqvist is a good skater who buzzes around the ice in all three zones; his mechanics, including good knee bend and a complete extension-recovery cycle, are excellent. Despite his 5’11” frame, he doesn’t hold himself to the perimeter of the offensive zone, testing his might as a net-front screen or by cutting to the slot with his quick legs or dekes.
Off the puck, Hedqvist scans the ice frequently, conducting regular shoulder checks to plot his next move. His forecheck positioning is often fine, and he’s shown versatility playing both wing and center assignments on defense. In transition and in the offensive zone, there is a slipperiness to his game with the puck, but I wouldn’t say he has the best stickhandling or shooting skills. As he continues to grow, a lot of those skills should grow, and he may be able to find the back of the net in some creative ways at the pro level.
All statistics are courtesy of eliteprospects.com
