Scott Nichol has a lot of titles.
Formerly known as an NHL player - including four seasons with the Predators - Nichol is now tasked with helping to develop the next wave of professionals in Nashville and beyond, among his many responsibilities.
Officially, he’s known as a Predators Assistant General Manager, the General Manager of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals as well as Nashville’s Director of Player Development.
As Nichol stated on the most recent edition of the Preds Official Podcast, it’s busy, but it’s hockey 24 hours a day. That’s not a bad deal for a hockey lifer, and Nichol wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love it, and I don't know what I'd be doing [without all the great people around me],” Nichol said on the podcast. “[The roles] have just grown and [there’s] more responsibility, but like I said, I've great people that I work with.”
Some of Nichol’s other “coworkers,” of course, are those who are trying to make the Nashville roster on a full-time basis. He touched on a number of those skaters who are currently in Milwaukee with an outlook to their potential futures with the Preds.
See below for Nichol’s thoughts on some top AHL prospects, and click here to listen to or watch his full interview on the Preds Official Podcast.
*Note: Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Nichol on forward Matthew Wood (who was recalled by the Preds and made his season debut on Thursday following Nichol’s interview on Wednesday):
“He started on our roster [in Milwaukee], which is a big check mark, because that’s the first time he's been through a rookie tournament, first time he's ever been through a main camp before the exhibition season; that’s a lot for a young kid to come in and play a lot of hockey. He's not used to that much hockey in September and October… He’s figuring out pro hockey. He scored a beautiful power-play goal off the flank, one-timer, short side. We all know his power-play skillset, his playmaking skillset, the size, and he just has a knack for the puck, and it follows him around during games… He’s doing great.”
On forward Reid Schaefer:
“I think he had a fantastic start last year. I think he had maybe eight or nine goals, and he only played 15, maybe 16 games. Preds fans probably would have seen him at some point last year [in the NHL], but he went down with an injury… But you look at him now, he looks like a man. He’s 6-foot-4, he’s filled out…he’s big, he can skate, he's physical, he has some good skill and touch around the net… I’m excited about him… He’s trying to instill a little bit of an identity to him, like a power forward type of player that won't back down. So, he's in a good spot. Give him some time, and maybe November, December, he gets going.”
On defenseman Tanner Molendyk:
“He skates like he's on a hoverboard… He’s dynamic on the blue line, sees the options, power play, penalty kill, it’s just getting all his first touches. When he goes back for pucks, he doesn't have as much time and there's better skaters in the American League, in the NHL, so they're on them a little bit quicker. We have him paired with Andreas Englund in Milwaukee to give him a little bit of space, give him a little bit of bravery, give him some time to be able to wield the net and not be nervous of someone coming down on him. And so you put him with a veteran guy, which can hopefully give him some confidence. Plays on our power play unit with [Jordan Oesterle] there, and then, of course, on the other units.
On forwards Zach L’Heureux and Joakim Kemell:
“Both of them have come down with great attitudes. Zach was probably our best player, one of our best players against Texas [a 5-3 win on Oct. 18]. He had a goal and an assist. What I love about Zach is he knows his identity, and he played to it where, like a perfect example is maturity, where we're down 6-on-5, he's out there 6-on-5, he has an empty net, and he passes the puck over to [Kyle] Marino for Marino to score in the empty net. If he is focused on, ‘I’ve got to score goals to get to the NHL,’ he would have taken that shot, so he would have two goals rather than a goal and an assist. So, that's a little thing that I look at. He's growing. He's maturing as a player and as a person.
“And ‘Kemmy’ came down there, got a couple assists. The first two shifts, he blew guys up. You’re like, 'Oh, he's just a shooter,’ but his all-around game is growing, and so is Zach's all-around game. And that’s the process of coming up, going back down, coming back up, they feel more comfortable their second or third time around, and both of them have great attitudes. And they want to get back here, just like all those other guys, so all super positive.”
