Brady Martin, the Nashville Predators’ top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is inching closer to making the team’s roster to start the season.

Martin scored twice in the Predators‘ 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 23, his first two goals for Nashville. He now has three points in two preseason games, all of them coming in at Bridgestone Arena.

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“It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” Martin said. “Pretty cool to score in front of a crowd like that. To hear them go wild, it was pretty cool.”

Martin’s first goal came at the 2:13 mark of the second period, an even strength tally to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. His second goal came just 2:29 minutes later, a scorching one-timer on the power play, assisted by Michael Bunting.

The speed at which Martin executed his shot, especially on the second goal, shows his level of skill.

“Me and (Filip Forsberg) and (Matthew Wood) have been working on that in practice, I think that really paid off,” Martin said. “Just getting a quick release and being able to shoot from anywhere.”

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It’s just preseason, but Martin is going to make the Predators’ roster decision a difficult one.

The Predators must either send Martin back to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) or keep him in Nashville for the season. As an 18-year-old, Martin is ineligible for the American Hockey League − it’s either the NHL or the OHL for him. Note that Martin can play in up to nine games before Nashville must make the final decision.

Not many 18-year-olds play in the NHL. The ones who do are usually top picks like Connor Bedard and Connor McDavid. Only one 18-year-old has ever played for the Predators: Scott Hartnell in 2000-01.

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“(Martin’s) putting his best foot forward. He’s making hard decisions for everybody,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “Hopefully he keeps trending that way.”

Martin, the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, scored 33 goals and 39 assists in 57 games with Sault Ste. Marie last season. Over two seasons, the Greyhounds’ center and assistant captain totaled 43 goals and 57 assists in 109 games, adding six points in 16 playoff games.

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.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brady Martin creating ‘hard decisions’ for Nashville Predators roster