When goaltender Jack Ivankovic skated on to the ice at Centennial Sportsplex on June 30, it wasn’t the first time he’d worn a Nashville Predators jersey.

Eight years ago, as a 10-year-old, he was wearing a Pekka Rinne jersey at Bridgestone Arena during a Stanley Cup Final game between the Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

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“I think I stood for the whole game,” Ivankovic told reporters after the first day of development camp. “The fan base here is pretty incredible.”

Ivankovic, who says he has always been a Predators fan, even tried his hand at the “car smash” before the game, an event where fans take turns hitting an opposition-themed car with a large hammer.

“I couldn’t really pick up the hammer,” he said.

Ivankovic, taken June 28 in the second round (No. 58 overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, said he became a fan of the team because of Pekka Rinne, its all-time winningest goaltender.

“It was Pekka, just watching Pekka play,” he said. “I wore No. 35 growing up because of him. So it’s pretty cool ending up here.”

Ivankovic is the newest member of the Predators’ goaltending pipelline. A 6-foot, 179-pounder from the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL, he matches what Nashville likes in its goalies of late: undersized, mobile and smart. Though he doesn’t have Rinne’s 6-5 frame, Ivankovic is a skilled skater and a good all-around prospect.

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“Ivankovic is also one of the most entertaining goalies to watch in this draft class. His skating is amongst the best in the class, and he regularly delivers highlight-reel saves,” a scout writing for Elite Prospects said. “Technically speaking, Ivankovic has the fundamentals of a potential NHL starter. His angles and tracking can click at an elite level at times, and despite his size, he does a much better job fighting pucks through screens than you’d expect.”

Committed to Michigan for the 2025-26 season, Ivankovic will have a lengthy path to the NHL if he makes it. But with Predators starter Juuse Saros signed through 2033, there’s no rush.

For now, Ivankovic is planning to learn as much as he can this week from Rinne, who is now a goaltending development coach for Nashville.

“I met (Rinne) yesterday, I was kind of mind-blown that it was actually him,” Ivankovic said. “He’s a really nice guy, I’m happy to learn from him.”

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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How goaltender Jack Ivankovic became a Predators, Pekka Rinne fan