Who's Who in White & Blue: Six Preds Prospects to Watch in Milwaukee in 2023-24

The Nashville Predators 2023-24 campaign is well underway, but up in Milwaukee things are just about to get started for the club’s AHL affiliate.

After concluding last season with their most successful playoff run in 17 years - making it all the way to the Calder Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final - the Admirals will kick off their 2023-24 campaign in Chicago on Saturday evening.

With a fresh season just around the corner and a final roster set for opening night, there are a number of new and returning Preds prospects to keep an eye on in Milwaukee:

Yaroslav Askarov

It almost goes without saying at this point, but Predators goaltending prospect and 2020 first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov should remain firmly at the center of fans’ attention during his sophomore professional season with Milwaukee.

Sure, the flying poke checks and net bench presses make for buzzworthy highlights - but at his core, Askarov continues to put up seriously impressive numbers that point to a bright future in the crease at Bridgestone Arena.

The 21-year-old netminder concluded his first American League campaign last year leading all rookie goaltenders in wins (26), saves (1,304), games played (48), minutes played (2,851) and points/assists (4).

Additionally, in his first taste of AHL postseason action, Askarov posted a 2.70 goals-against average and .903 save percentage through 12 games. Remember Pekka Rinne? For comparison, No. 35 posted a 2.86 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in just two more appearances during his first Calder Cup Playoff run in 2006.

Askarov even dipped his toes in deeper waters earlier this year, turning away 31 shots against the Montreal Canadiens during his NHL debut at Bell Centre in January.

Naturally, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the young netminder and his future. Askarov, however, just wants to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

“I just want to be great every day,” Askarov said at Training Camp in September. “I just want to be better every day. And I try to just work hard just like everyone [does].”

Joakim Kemell 

Since hearing his name called 17th overall at the 2022 NHL Draft, Joakim Kemell has climbed the ranks as a Predators prospect at lightning pace. And for good reason. 

After finishing his third season with the Finnish Liiga’s JYP with 15 points (12g-3a) in 43 games - and another four (2g-2a) at his fourth World Juniors tournament - Kemell joined the Admirals down the stretch and put up an impressive 13 points (6g-7a) in 14 games, including four multi-point outings.

In his first American League postseason, Kemell’s continued to contribute, leading both the Admirals and all AHL rookies with eight goals through 14 games.

In his first Rookie Showcase appearance with the Predators prospect squad, Kemell scored twice in regulation, then again in the postgame shootout. The 19-year-old’s offensive contributions would carry over to the preseason, when he tallied a goal and an assist against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 30. 

Now, with a full 72-game schedule in front of him in Milwaukee, Kemell could prove a key piece of the Ads offense - and perhaps a suitable call-up for the Preds - in 2023-24.

Zachary L’Heureux

Of all the prospects within the Predators system, few are likely as eager to prove themselves in the coming season as Zachary L’Heureux. 

After a four-year stretch in the Quebec Major Junior League that saw the young forward suspended nine times, L’Heureux will start his debut professional season looking to both put some distance between his juniors reputation and get back on track in his development. 

“At this point in my career I think I’m ready to take the next step,” he said at training camp. “I was able to learn a lot from my mistakes and move on from them, but I think if I would’ve gone back to juniors it would’ve been hard to completely move on. So now it’s definitely a clean slate and I just want to leave all that in the past and show what I can do as a pro hockey player.” 

As the Preds see it, at his full potential, L’Heureux can do quite a bit.

With an ‘under-your-skin’ style of play akin to Brad Marchand or Matthew Tkachuk, L’Heureux excels in making his opponent’s jobs very difficult while routinely cracking the scoresheet. In his last three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, he registered more than a point-per-game, before tallying another 26 (11g-15a) in 20 postseason outings. 

If the Admirals are the clean slate L’Heureux needs to get back to his winning ways, fans should look forward to seeing exactly what the power forward does best.

Marc Del Gaizo

As an injury-plagued Predators squad looked to its American League counterpart for replacements down the stretch of a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign, one defensive prospect stayed put in Milwaukee.

But cut to this year’s training camp and 24-year-old Marc Del Gaizo was, by contrast, one of the last of his Admirals teammates to be reassigned, staying with Nashville throughout their six-game preseason slate and receiving his reassignment only four days out from the Preds season opener. 

Safe to say, Del Gaizo is likely closer than ever to finally busting through the ceiling and making his long-awaited NHL debut.

Combine his stellar training camp with the added confidence of an historic playoff run that ended with him second among his teammates in points (4g-8a-12pts), and Del Gaizo could start his third professional season in Milwaukee with enough momentum to eventually earn him the coveted call up to the Music City.

Reid Schaefer

At 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds, it’s hard not to notice Reid Schaefer whenever he steps onto the ice. But if the 20-year-old winger’s sheer size wasn’t enough to turn heads, his uncanny, almost habitual ability to find the back of the net certainly is. 

In March, Schaefer concluded his second full season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds with 61 points (28g-33a) in 55 games, then continued to produce at a point-per-game pace in his club’s 19-game journey to an Ed Chynoweth Cup Championship. From there, he tacked on another two assists in Seattle’s five-game run to the Memorial Cup Championship Game. Though his club fell short of lifting that trophy, his gold medal with Team Canada at the 2023 World Juniors may have taken some sting out of the loss.

From there, Schaefer joined his first Predators training camp this September - after a trade with the Edmonton Oilers for veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm - eager to flash his winning pedigree in front of a brand new coaching staff. On Saturday, he’ll begin his first pro season in Milwaukee, where he’s likely to continue turning heads. 

As Admirals General Manager Scott Nichol said following Schaefer’s acquisition, “If he’s going to fit our system and our way of life and how we develop guys and how we insulate them and make them succeed, then he's going to be a Nashville Predator for a long time."

Fedor Svechkov

Rounding out the list is forward Fedor Svechkov, who will be the seventh first-round pick embedded in Milwaukee’s lineup this season. 

Taken 19th overall in 2021, Svechkov divided his time last year among three different Russian leagues - the KHL (Spartak Moskva), VHL (Khimik Voskresensk) and MHL (MHK Spartak Moskva. Svechkov saw the most game action in the KHL - Russia’s highest professional league - where he put up four points (2g-2a) in 27 games.

He wrapped 2022-23 tallying seven points (5g-2a) in nine games en route to a VHL title for Khimik Voskresensk, then made the trip to Milwaukee to train with the Ads staff for several weeks before appearing in his first NHL training camp this September. 

Svechkov will need to adapt to a different style of play and the demands of a longer regular-season schedule during his first North American professional season, though there’s plenty to indicate that the 20-year-old center will be up for the challenge. 

The action starts for the Admirals Saturday at 7 p.m. CT as they take on the rival Chicago Wolves on enemy ice at Allstate Arena. Fans can tune in to Milwaukee’s season opener for free on AHL TV, and follow along on the @MKEAdmirals social media channels.

Photos of Askarov, Del Gaizo, Kemell courtesy of Milwaukee Admirals.