Wilsby to play at home in NHL Global Series Sweden with Predators after adversity

STOCKHOLM -- Unlike Europeans of previous generations, for whom the NHL wasn’t quite such a prominent presence, Adam Wilsby always had North America in his sights. He always wanted to play in the NHL.

That’s why, when he started to garner some interest from teams in Sweden in his second season in the American Hockey League, with the chance to play for the Nashville Predators in the NHL still not a sure thing, he was willing to listen, to consider.

But deep down, he knew he’d always have the what-ifs. What if he had stayed? What if he’d given himself one last shot?

“I had a kind of tough year, especially in the start of the season [that year] I was being scratched in Milwaukee,” Wilsby said. “I started thinking about what’s next and I had some pretty good offers going back to Sweden, and obviously that intrigued me a little bit.

“But then in the end, I felt like I can’t live with myself giving up too early on the NHL dream. So I’m like, ‘I’m going to give it at least one more year.’ A little bit like a do-or-die year for me.”

He entered training camp last season with a chip on his shoulder, a fire inside to make the most of the decision he ultimately made. And on Nov. 27, 2024, the No. 101 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft made his NHL debut with Nashville.

“I always had in the back of my mind, even though it intrigued me, I was still, down deep, I knew that I can’t give up now,” he said. “I [felt] like if I go back, if I go back to Sweden, I wouldn’t come back to the States afterward. So, I feel like if I’m here, I might as well give it a full-hearted chance.”

It was that choice, to give it one more year to fulfill his dream, that has brought the Predators defenseman back home to Stockholm, the place where he grew up and where he still has an apartment. It’s what has him serving as the Predators’ tour guide for their week at the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, determining team dinners and handing out advice on what to do and where to go.

It's why he was on a boat tour on the Norrstrom River through Stockholm on Wednesday, answering questions in Swedish and English alongside teammate Matthew Wood. It’s why he will play in front of 20 to 25 friends and family at Avicii Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN) and Sunday (9 a.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN).

“I grew up wanting to play in NHL,” said Wilsby, who has two assists in 12 games this season. “That was the big dream. Then you grow older, and you realize it’s going to be a hard time making it. And then I slowly started believing more and more and then getting drafted. Obviously it’s a lifelong dream for me, and I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as possible.”

He bet on himself -- and hit.

“Just proud of myself for sticking with it,” he said.

This is an experience Wilsby called “once in a lifetime.” It has been mostly fun, a little bit of pressure.

That any of this has happened is a little bit of a surprise.

Wilsby does not come from a hockey family. As he put it, “not even athletes … grew up in a more academic family.” But there were some older cousins -- kids he looked up to -- and when he saw them play hockey, he decided he was all in as well.

It has worked out.

“He brings a lot,” said Predators forward Filip Forsberg, a fellow Swede. “He’s obviously a tremendous skater, plays really hard. He hurts you in practice, which is a good thing. Sometimes a little too much, so I’ve got to tell him to ease back a little bit.

“He plays the game extremely hard, competes on the pucks. His offensive game is starting to pick up more, too, which is what he was known for when he was back here, just flying around and creating stuff offensively. I think that game is only going to improve as he develops more too.”

Wilsby played 23 games with Nashville in 2024-25 (five points; one goal, four assists) before a season-ending shoulder surgery cut short his rookie season. It was his first major injury, something he called a learning experience, a torn labrum in his shoulder that he’d played through for about a year before it became apparent that he would need to get the repair.

He returned healthy to start this season but missed six games because of another injury, though he returned and played 15:59 in a 6-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Monday.

“I’m still trying to establish myself,” Wilsby said. “That’s even more hard work trying to establish yourself in this league. You always have new guys coming up, so you’ve got to make sure you work hard and keep your spot.”

That spot is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, a passion, one that started in the very city where Wilsby finds himself this week. He will have a chance to play his first NHL games in front of some of his family, including his older sister and older brother, something that he already knows will be a moment to remember.

“It’s going to be great,” he said. “Obviously it’s going to be very exciting. It’s going to be similar to the first NHL-game feelings [I had] coming up. I’m just happy to share it with them.”