BREAKING: Nashville Predators Select Ryker Lee 26th Overall, ELITE Goal Scorer For Smashville Depth?

BREAKING: Nashville Predators Select Ryker Lee 26th Overall, ELITE Goal Scorer For Smashville Depth?

the pick is in the Nashville Predators have made another selection in the 2025 NHL draft i’m Gil Martin i’m joined now by the host of Locked on Predators and Kimmel and the Pred have selected Riker Lee with the 26th overall pick in the NHL draft how surprised were you by this selection man I was a little bit surprised by this selection i think a lot of people felt like with these later first round picks that Nashville was going to target a defenseman which they did they moved up to get Cameron Reid but I think they also felt that they were going to maybe select a goalender or hometown favorite defenseman Blake Fidler which did not happen so I think this is an interesting pick maybe one that came uh as a little bit of a surprise to the Predators fandom what does he bring to the table that led the Predators to select him with this pick
yeah I think the thing that you really have to like about Riker Lee is he is a really versatile player and I think he’s got a lot of room to grow uh to grow his game he played 58 uh games last season for the Madison Capitals scored 31 goals 68 points so this is a a young man who’s got an offensive upside to him i think Nashville Predators really like what they saw from him on ice i think this is also a young man who impressed them off the ice i think there’s a lot to like about his game
what does he need to work on to reach the NHL yeah the you know he was maybe he maybe was selected a little higher than he was projected and I think when people look at his game they are going to look at some things like you know just getting to that NHL level of execution you know again he’s got a great shot i think just knowing when to use that shot and learning to play at the pace of the NHL game that’s going to be the big challenge for him he is headed off to Michigan State next season so he is going to get a lot of opportunity to grow his game with that program as well so I think that bodess really well and I think Nashville likes what they see in him
how about the skating is that a concern at all
uh seems to skate fairly well i don’t know that the speed is exactly where they want it to be but I think that that’s something that Nashville feels very confident that they can work on their players uh when it comes to they have a great skating coach here in Nashville that has done a great job with some of these players coming in who maybe aren’t quite where the Predators want them to be when it comes to skating i think it was interesting we got a chance to chat with Riker Lee and he talked about the fact that he had kind of a late growth spurt and grew you know 12 inches in a very short period of time and he said you know I’m relearning how to skate and to play hockey in a six-foot body now so definitely some adjustments for a young man of 18 years old but I don’t think that’s anything that Nashville doesn’t feel like they can work on within their program here where do you think he projects once he reaches the NHL you know this is really interesting uh some people see him as maybe a bottom six winger in the NHL i think maybe that’s the ceiling that people have him projected at now Barry Trotz likes to look for a player who maybe is overlooked perhaps he sees something in Riker Lee that he thinks is going to get him maybe a middle six winger for the Predators i think that’s probably best case scenario but again this is an 18-year-old young man and a lot of room to grow his game
overall how do you feel about day one of the draft for the PRS
i would say the best word to describe it is surprising i think we had uh some good ideas of what we thought Barry Trotz was going to do but Barry Trotz Barry Trotz today and I think he selected three players that had sort of something extra it wasn’t just about on ice skill i don’t think that it was just about statistics i think Barry Trotz really liked what he saw in the young men that he selected a lot of potential here but very surprising all right well for continued coverage on Riker Lee and all of the Predators picks check out Locked On Predators it’s on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast and of course it’s part of the Locked On podcast network

The Nashville Predators continue to add high-end offensive talent to their system, selecting dynamic forward Ryker Lee with the 26th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and third pick in the first round. This pick adds significant scoring potential to the Preds’ future.

Lee, a 6’0″, 181-pound right-shot winger from the USHL’s Madison Capitols, was the league’s Rookie of the Year, tallying an impressive 31 goals and 68 points in 58 games. He’s renowned for his elite puck handling, creative playmaking, and a deadly shot release. Despite some questions about his skating, Lee’s exceptional hockey IQ and ability to consistently generate scoring chances make him a high-upside pick.

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