Chosen with the fifth overall pick in the NHL Draft in June, Brady Martin was always going to to play a big part in the Nashville Predators’ future.

The only question coming into training camp was when that future would begin on the NHL level.

Martin, the team’s highest drafted player since 2013, on Monday earned a spot on the opening night roster of the Predators, who will begin the 2025-26 season Thursday at Bridgestone Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 18-year-old Martin is skating into rare air, as one of very few Nashville draft picks to begin the season on the NHL level when still eligible to play junior hockey.

Others who’ve done the same include forward Scott Hartnell (2000 first-round pick), forward Scottie Upshall (2002 first-round pick) and defenseman Seth Jones (2013 first-round pick).

“It’s very exciting,” Martin said following the team’s practice Monday. “I’m happy to be here. The work I’ve put in, I think I’ve proved I can play with the guys here. So, just looking forward to Thursday and seeing what happens.”

If preseason practices and games are any indication, Martin has not only made the opening-night roster, but will likely play a high-level role as well.

He’s been paired regularly on the Preds’ first line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly, who have totaled a combined 27 years of NHL experience, 1,932 games, 621 goals and 1,505 points.

How’s that for a nice way to start one’s NHL career?

“Playing with those guys is pretty special,” Martin said. “Just taking tips and tricks from them, just learning a lot from them. Playing with them is pretty easy. They just give you the puck.”

Martin’s inclusion on the Preds’ opening-night roster does not necessarily mean he will be in Nashville for the remainder of the season. He can play up to nine games on the NHL level without burning a year off his rookie contract, so the Preds could still choose to send him back to juniors early in the season.

But Predators coach Andrew Brunette has been complimentary of the 6-0, 185-pound Martin’s play, especially after Martin passed an important test Saturday — performing well versus Carolina in Nashville’s final preseason game, against a near full-strength Hurricanes roster.

In his 11:37 ice time with Forsberg and O’Reilly during that contest, Martin helped the Predators create 10 of the game’s 17 shot attempts. Nashville also posted four high-danger chances when Forsberg, Martin and O’Reilly were on the ice, compared to zero for Carolina.

“He’s against … one of the best teams in the league, and I thought even the competitive nature he had — digging in for face-offs late in the game [and] wanting to take them, [was] pretty cool for a young kid,” Brunette said. “He’s going against [Carolina star Sebastian Aho] and these guys, and he snapped [the face-off win] back late in games. He’s a competitive kid and he has shown he can think with our top players. And that’s a big part of the game of hockey.”

Forsberg is no stranger to playing in the NHL at a young age.

He debuted near the end of the 2012-13 season when he was 18 years old, getting five games of experience on the NHL level.

But Forsberg acknowledges that making the opening-night roster as an 18-year-old — after going through the rigors of an NHL training camp — is an even more impressive feat.

How has Martin managed to do so?

“I think just his competitiveness,” Forsberg said. “He’s really strong on the puck … He’s not necessarily the biggest guy, but he plays a strong, heavy game around the walls. I feel like that’s the hardest thing [to translate for young players]  … Obviously things will ramp up another step come the regular season. But so far, he looks good for sure.”

Martin said he doesn’t quite know what to expect if he’s in the lineup Thursday against Columbus. But the Kitchener, Ontario, native would love to skate his rookie lap — circling the ice on his own at the start of warm-ups — in front of a cheering crowd that includes his family.

After that, Martin plans to take a businesslike approach to his first NHL game, showing the same strengths he displayed during training camp.

“Just my work ethic and compete level,” Martin said, when asked how he impressed the Predators’ decision makers.

“Just going out there and working hard every shift. Showing them what I have every shift is a big thing for me.”