Ozzy Wiesblatt achieved his childhood dream on Jan. 3, 2025, when he laced up his skates for his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators. Nine months later, tragedy struck.
As Wiesblatt was gearing up for the 2025-26 season, his brother, former Athens Rock Lobsters forward Orca Wiesblatt, was killed in a car accident in British Columbia, Canada.
Orca Wiesblatt was a key member of the inaugural Rock Lobsters team that heavily exceeded expectations. Experiencing a career resurgence of his own, Orca Wiesblatt scored 17 goals and 42 total points through 37 games with the Rock Lobsters, adding a goal and an assist in Athens’ lone postseason series.
Despite his passing, his brothers’ careers are taking off in his memory.
Having played in just five NHL games before Orca’s passing, Ozzy Wiesblatt would go on to make Nashville’s roster full-time, suiting up for 39 games in his full rookie campaign. Orca Wiesblatt is also survived by a sister and two more brothers who have played professional hockey: Oasiz Wiesblatt, the youngest brother, who is currently having a successful first professional season with the Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, and Ocean Wiesblatt, who had a brief stint with the Rock Lobsters alongside Orca.
Playing in a depth role for the Predators, Ozzy Wiesblatt finally broke through on Dec. 2, 2025, scoring his first career NHL goal against his hometown team, the Calgary Flames. As his teammates raced to the crease to collect his puck, Ozzy Wiesblatt pointed to the sky, honoring his late older brother.
Wiesblatt’s battle with grief during his rookie year is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of how hard he has worked for everything he has earned. The Wiesblatt brothers were raised by parents in the deaf community, and their mother, Kim White, worked multiple jobs to support them after becoming a single parent during their childhood. Ocean Wiesblatt stated that he and his siblings learned sign language as their first language, learning English primarily through television.
Despite all the challenges, Ozzy Wiesblatt pursued his dreams all the way to the highest level. On April 8, he was named as the Predators’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”
“It’s pretty cool to be recognized as someone that’s had a tough path to get where they are,” Wiesblatt said. “Everybody has, in a sense, and it’s pretty cool that mine’s recognized in that sort of way.”
As the Predators are currently in a heated Western Conference playoff race, Wiesblatt continues to channel both his grief and gratitude into every shift, determined to honor his brother’s legacy with each opportunity he earns on the ice. In doing so, he has become not only a symbol of perseverance for his team, but an inspiration to the community and a reminder that purpose and success can be found through passion and resilience.