A Predators first-round draft pick held the Stanley Cup aloft for the first time Tuesday.

Unfortunately for Nashville fans, Seth Jones didn’t do so while wearing a Preds jersey.

Jones, chosen by the Predators in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft, celebrated with his Florida teammates at Amerant Bank Arena following the Panthers’ 5-1 victory over Edmonton, a win that sealed a six-game series triumph in the Stanley Cup Final.

It was the second straight Cup for the Panthers, but the first for the 30-year-old Jones. He is the son of Popeye Jones, a Dresden, Tenn., native and Dresden High School graduate who spent 11 seasons in the NBA after playing at Murray State.

Seth Jones was the third Panthers player to hoist the Cup after Tuesday’s win, following captain Sasha Barkov and defenseman Nate Schmidt, who, like Jones, had never before experienced the moment.

“When the Cup came to me, it’s just 30 years of dreaming about lifting the Stanley Cup, and it all just happens at one time in the moment,” Jones said during an interview with the Canadian-based TSN network. “It’s just incredible, with family here. They’re a big part of this as well.”

Jones’ achievement marked the first time one of Nashville’s 25 first-round selections — drafted over a span of 27 years — had ever captured the Cup.

He is just the fourth Predators draft pick overall to win a Cup, joining 1999 second-round pick Andrew Hutchinson (Carolina, 2006); 2005 seventh-round pick Patric Hornqvist (Pittsburgh, 2016 and 2017); and 2016 second-round pick Samuel Girard (Colorado, 2022).

Two Preds draft picks — defenseman Mattias Ekholm (2009, fourth round) and forward Viktor Arvidsson (2014, fourth round) — were on the losing end of this year’s Cup Final. It was the second straight near miss for Ekholm, who also reached the Final with Edmonton last season.

Jones spent just two-and-a-half seasons with Nashville, totaling 63 points (15 goals, 48 assists) in 199 contests. He was traded to Columbus in January 2016, with the Preds receiving center Ryan Johansen in exchange.

The Blue Jackets traded Jones in July 2021 to Chicago, with which he never reached the postseason. The Blackhawks posted just 25 wins and 61 points this season, the second lowest totals in the league.

But Jones quickly began to play an integral role for Florida after he arrived via trade from Chicago in March. In a combined 43 regular season and playoff appearances with the Panthers, Jones totaled 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) while averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time.

“A complete 180,” Jones said of going from Chicago to winning a Cup. “Nothing against [the Blackhawks]. I can only speak for the situation I’m in now. So happy. Shoutout to both organizations for making that move, and for this organization for believing in me and what I can do … It’s insane. It feels like [the trade] was ages ago.”