Brady Martin has had a busy summer.
He was the Nashville Predators‘ top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in June, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract in August, all the while helping harvest corn on his family’s farm in Ontario and grinding through off-ice workouts to prepare for the season.
“It’s been a long summer,” Martin told reporters at Centennial Sportsplex on Sept. 11. “But not many people get to experience that, so it’s been fun.”
Martin also stayed at teammate Filip Forsberg‘s house as the Predaors prepared for the start of training camp.
“I came down a bit early, so I got to hang out with some of the older guys here, like (Ryan) O’Reilly and Forsberg. I lived with him, it was pretty cool.”
His strategy to surround himself with NHL talent as much as possible, Martin stayed with Forsberg − and his wife Erin Alvey and their one-year-old son Felix − in the days leading up to rookie camp, which opened on Sept. 10.
“It was a lot of fun, him and his wife were great. Little baby Felix was awesome,” Martin said.
What Brady Martin learned while living with Nashville Predators‘ Filip Forsberg
Martin, 18, just completed his second season with Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League and enters rookie camp as one of Nashville’s top forwards. After a three-game prospect showcase in Florida against Carolina, Tampa, and Florida from Sept. 12-15, Martin should have a chance to make Nashville’s roster out of training camp, though they could opt to send him back to the OHL for 2025-26.
For now, Martin is hoping to learn all he can from Nashville’s veterans while he’s here.
“I think it’s kind of helped me ease into it a bit, get used to the feel of being with NHL players,” Martin said. “They have a good routine and they take it so seriously.”
Martin stands to learn a lot from Forsberg, who leads the franchise in goals (318) and has the second most points (681) behind Roman Josi (724). Hanging with Forsberg this summer showed Martin it’s not all about talent.
“They try to get better every day,” Martin said. “They’re always putting in the work.”
Thankfully training camp won’t include babysitting for Martin.
“I don’t think they’d trust me with the baby,” Martin joked.
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.