The Nashville Predators have signed forward Brady Martin to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The signing, announced Aug. 20, comes two months after the Predators made Martin their top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, selected at No. 5 overall, and one month before the start of training camp in Nashville.
Martin, who is the first of Nashville’s 2025 draft class to sign a contract, just completed his second season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 33 goals and 39 assists in 57 games. Their top center and assistant captain totaled 43 goals and 57 assists in 109 OHL games, adding six points in 16 playoff games.
Though Martin likely will head back to the OHL for the 2025-26 season, signing a contract with Nashville opens the door for him to play as an 18-year-old in the NHL. The last time the Predators had an 18-year-old in their lineup was 2000, when Scott Hartnell scored two goals and 14 assists in 75 games.
With physical abilities that have been compared to Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett, Martin would be an intriguing addition to the Predators’ lineup. On July 1, general manager Barry Trotz admitted the team’s center depth was an issue and entertained the idea that Martin could play in the upcoming season.
“Nothing would surprise me with this kid,” Trotz said about Martin after the draft.
The Predators’ other centers are Ryan O’Reilly, Fedor Svechkov, Erik Haula and Michael McCarron. Longtime center Colton Sissons was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 in a deal that brought defenseman Nicolas Hague to Nashville.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.