Day two of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be a busy one for the Nashville Predators. And as they near the end of the marathon, they will pick twice in the fifth round: 143rd and 147th overall.
Nashville’s 1st-Round Draft Board | Nashville’s 2nd-Round Draft Board
Nashville’s 3rd-Round Draft Board | Nashville’s 4th-Round Draft Board
Below is a look at four players Nashville could be considering for those two selections with a breakdown of what kind of game they would bring to the organization.
Albert Wikman (D) | Färjestad BK J20 (J20 Nationell) | 6’1″, 198 lbs. | PBR Rank: 75th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2022-23 | Färjestad BK J20 | J20 Nationell | 43 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In watching Albert Wikman’s tape this year, I consistently came away impressed, noticing very few mistakes. The 6’1″ defender played in 43 games for Färjestad BK in the J20 Nationell this year, posting two goals and 12 points. He earned an 11-game appearance in the SHL and picked up some international experience with Sweden’s U18 squad.
Wikman is an above-average skater, combining good mechanics with his pro-ready frame. He doesn’t have elite speed, but his skating skills ensure he stays in a good defensive position much of the time. In one-on-one battles, he works hard to out-muscle opponents for pucks in the corners or along the wall, but sometimes he can lunge with his stick or hands too much. Off the rush, his pivot timing is solid, and I like his aggressive gap control; he can still improve his net-front defense by leveraging his strength more.
Wikman’s offensive ceiling is probably lower than you’d like. He can be strong and elusive in transition, but his rush leading usually stops at him getting the puck deep in the offensive zone. At his best, he activates smartly from the blue line, firing decent shots on-net or sneaking into quiet ice to pounce on a backdoor chance. But those moments happen infrequently, and that may be what holds him back from a long NHL career.
Brad Gardiner (C) | Ottawa 67’s (OHL) | 6’1″, 174 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL | 53 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2022-23 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL | 68 | 19 | 20 | 39 |
Brad Gardiner is someone I caught a lot this year while watching Jack Matier, and I never decided on a firm belief about his NHL future. The 6’1″ center finished his second season in the OHL, scoring 19 goals and 39 points in 68 games before adding four more points in 11 games before the 67’s surprise playoff exit.
Most nights, he plays the role of a typical bottom-six pivot; he works hard in the faceoff dots, pesters opponents on the forecheck, forces turnovers with an active stick and good pressure, and facilitates plays for his linemates. He’s not the best skater, relying on a wide base and slower accelerating steps, but he can get where he needs to go, and his ultimate top speed is fine. His puck skills are below average; his hands are stiff when he receives passes, and he lacks some deking ability under pressure. But his basic puck protection skills aren’t bad as he layers parts of his body to hold off defenders. That allows him to play a give-and-go style of offense that results in him finding space around the net.
With improvements to his skating, Gardiner could be a strong defensive forward at higher levels. And his shot is a genuine strength, but Gardiner’s game needs a good bit of maturing offensively to make it to the NHL.
Alexander Hellnemo (G) | Skellefteå AIK J20 (J20 Nationell) | 6’2″, 183 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 2022-22 | Skellefteå AIK J20 | J20 Nationell | 23 | 2.32 | 0.916 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 9 | 2.39 | 0.895 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Västerås IK | HockeyAllsvenskan | 2 | 3.07 | 0.861 | 0 |
Hellnemo is in his second year of draft eligibility, but he certainly won’t go unpicked this time around. Spending most of the season at the U20 level, Hellnemo finished with a 0.916 save percentage in 23 appearances with Skellefteå AIK J20. He also played in nine games in Sweden’s pro league, finishing with a 0.895 save percentage.
The German-born netminder has good size (6’2″), and he uses all of it when challenging shooters. Watch one game of Hellnemo’s, and you’ll immediately notice how aggressive his positioning is. He loves to set up camp at the top of the crease, forcing puck carriers to get down low and into high-danger areas to score. From his aggressive stance, he flashes his glove, throws out his blocker, and even inches up his shoulders to fight off shooters attempting to pick corners, and his leg pads mitigate point shots effectively.
Where Hellnemo can be exploited is in readjusting to second chances. If his defenders can’t recover a point shot, ready-to-pounce forwards can best Hellnemo’s readjustment time from the top of his crease and put rebounds or backdoor chances home. There are some things there that NHL clubs will want to refine, and with a thin pipeline in the net, it might be worthwhile for Nashville to take on that task.
Kalem Parker (D) | Victoria Royals (WHL) | 6’0″, 187 lbs. | PBR Rank: NA
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Victoria Royals | WHL | 66 | 2 | 18 | 20 |
| 2022-23 | Victoria Royals | WHL | 68 | 6 | 32 | 38 |
The last few years ago have not been kind to the Victoria Royals, and there haven’t been a ton of bright spots coming out of their organization; Kalem Parker is aiming to change that. After a 20-point freshman year in the WHL last year, Parker notched 38 points this season—the best among Victoria’s defenders and tied for third among all skaters on his team.
Despite not having eye-popping offensive stats, Parker appreciates that end of the ice. He likes to burst out of his own zone by either quickly reversing puck retrievals or accelerating into D-to-D passes. He keeps his head up in transition and manages the puck well, executing good first passes most of the time or gaining the offensive zone with good pace. His skating isn’t remarkable, but his mechanics are solid: good knee bend, strong linear crossovers, etc. His shooting talent grades out as NHL-average, but he can snipe a long-range shot here and there.
Defensively, Parker plays with a bit of bite to his game, challenging opponents around the blueline with shoulder checks and an active stick. He forces a good number of dump-ins but could still improve his pivot timing and defense against opponents’ established cycles. To reach the NHL, he’ll need to refine those defensive tactics and improve his decision-making with the puck.
All statistics are courtesy of eliteprospects.com.
