Preds Prospects Report: September

A new season is upon us, meaning there are prospects in new places and fresh faces to the organization. The European leagues have been underway for much of September, and some Canadian junior prospects recently started their 2025-26 campaigns. Here’s the latest on the Nashville pipeline.

Semyon Chistyakov | D | Avangard Omsk (KHL)

Semyon Chistyakov is now in his sixth full-time KHL season and has firmly established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. While many Predators fans are dismayed that he keeps delaying his move to North America, the blue liner just turned 24 years old; his contract currently runs through 2026-27.

I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic that we’ll ever see Chistyakov in gold, but he’s been clear that he wants to be one of the best in the KHL before considering an NHL deal. He’s won one league title and led his peers in goals last season. Avangard is a legitimate championship contender again, and Chistyakov is off to a hot start with three goals and seven points in seven games. You can see NHL-level maturity in his game at both ends of the ice, and he hasn’t lost his penchant for big hits. If he ever crosses the ocean, I expect to see a top-four all-situations defender in the NHL.

Kasper Kulonummi | D | Kiekko-Espoo (Liiga)

At just 20 years old, Kasper Kulonummi established himself last season as a full-time pro-level defender with Kiekko-Espoo. The 2022 third-round pick is now playing top-four minutes and is one of just two blueliners on his team with a positive expected goal differential (1.11) so far this young season.

Kulonummi, who has posted five goals in nine games, is a prospect I’ll be watching closely this year. He’s playing for an entry-level contract next summer and needs to prove he can handle increased defensive responsibilities.

Daniel Nieminen | D | Pelicans (Liiga)

Not to get too ahead, but Daniel Nieminen is an early contender for best value in Nashville’s 2025 draft class. I was a big fan of the Predators taking him in the sixth round this summer, and early returns in his D+1 season are promising. Through eight games, Nieminen leads Pelicans’ defenders in scoring (four points), average ice time (20+ minutes a night), and expected goal differential (0.88). He was an overage pick, so he’s already 19, but Nieminen is shaping up to be a top-pair blueliner in Finland this year.

Cameron Reid | D | Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

One of three first-round picks taken by Nashville this summer, Cameron Reid has returned to the OHL for his third season of junior hockey. Named the captain of the Kitchener Rangers, Reid’s team could be OHL title contenders, and the blueliner himself will be playing for a spot on Canada’s 2026 World Junior Championship (WJC) roster.

What’s most interesting about Reid’s future is how the new NHL collective bargaining agreement will affect him. Reid won’t turn 19 until after this season, meaning he’d have to play a fourth season in the OHL in 2026-27. But starting next year, NHL teams will be able to pick one 19-year-old to play in the AHL (pending negotiation with the CHL). If Brady Martin makes Nashville’s roster next year, that slot would likely go to Reid.

Felix Nilsson | F | Rögle BK (SHL)

Much like Kasper Kulonummi, Felix Nilsson is another prospect who would benefit from a forceful step forward this year. The 2023 second-round pick silenced many doubters last year, registering 22 points in 40 SHL games after a difficult 2023-24 campaign; at the WJC, he added six points in seven games for Team Sweden.

Nashville has two more years to sign Nilsson, but this is an important season to figure out what kind of player he’ll be. He’s probably more of a winger than a center at this point, but can he pot more goals, or will he be a pure playmaker?

Through six games, Nilsson is second in scoring on Rögle BK with one goal and four points.

Viktor Nörringer | F | Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)

Earlier this year, Nörringer committed to Boston University (BU) for 2026. It was a tad unexpected at the time, but it gave the Swedish winger the opportunity to come to the USHL this year, suiting up for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. While Nörringer may still be a long shot as an NHLer, these are excellent moves for his development. Muskegon is a top-tier junior organization that’s produced plenty of pros, and at BU, he’ll play with and against the best of college hockey.

Nörringer is an interesting name to watch if he can piece everything together. He stands at 6’3”, uses his frame well, has an above-average shot, and more. Through his two games in North America, the fourth-round pick has scored twice; I’ll be interested to see how far off the USHL scoring title he finishes.

Hiroki Gojsic | F | Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Hiroki Gojsic’s D+1 season was a major disappointment. He didn’t just stagnate, he regressed as the Rockets faltered. Now, Kelowna will host the 2026 Memorial Cup, and Gojsic needs to be a major key to their title run. Nashville has already signed the third-round pick to his entry-level contract — which I think was premature, but he needs to show some dominance this year (both on the scoresheet and as a play driver) or else his window to the NHL will get much smaller.

Egor Surin | F | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Things couldn’t be going better for Nashville’s 2024 first-round pick right now. After an impressive rookie campaign in the KHL last year, Surin is playing at the top of Yaroslavl’s lineup and has posted seven goals and ten points in ten games (good for second on the team behind Alex Radulov). He’s blasting pucks on the power play, finding open ice at even strength, and demonstrating mature puck-handling skills against stronger defenders. It’s the kind of start that makes you want Surin to come to North America right away.

Unfortunately, he signed an extension this summer through 2026-27 with Lokomotiv. Now, there are ways to get him over here before then, and I’m not at all worried he’ll spend his entire career there (he’s still just 19). For now, enjoy a top prospect thriving in a difficult league.

Jakub Milota | G | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)

One of two goalie prospects in Nashville’s pipeline, Jakub Milota is playing for an entry-level contract this year. He had a decent 2024-25 campaign with a 0.903 save percentage and 8.112 goals-saved above average, but this year, he’ll be under a bigger spotlight. Traded to Blainville-Boisbriand this offseason, Milota will share the net with Montreal prospect Arseni Radkov as the Armada chase serious Memorial Cup aspirations; he should also be Czechia’s starter at the 2026 WJC.