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At least a dozen college-branded hockey gear bags are scattered about the Centennial Sportsplex locker room this week.
That's where 37 draftees and camp invitees are working through drills at Nashville Predators development camp, a crucial week between the NHL draft and a long summer of off-ice training.
Though all players wear the Predators' navy and gold on the ice, their school colors vary. The scarlet and gray of Ohio State. The maize and blue of Michigan. The maroon and gold of Boston College.
There's even a healthy surge of rivalries in the room, an unintended consequence of college hockey's renaissance in the NHL.
Take Jack Ivankovic, Michigan's starting goaltender and Predators' 2025 second-round pick.
"We do not like the (Michigan) State guys," he said. "Coming in here, we’ll talk ... but once the (college) season starts, there’s definitely no talking at all."
Ryker Lee, a Michigan State forward and the Predators' 2025 first-round pick, acknowledged the same.
"It's funny seeing (Ivankovic)," Lee said. "I didn’t score on him (in college) this year. I’ve just been telling him I’m watching him this week, I’m going to see if I can score on him."
Development camp, which began June 28, provides NHL training simulation for draftees. It's an invaluable week of on-ice instruction with NHL coaches, culminating in the Future Stars game at Ford Ice Center Bellevue (July 3, 10:30 a.m.).
But this week, players also learn how to work with teammates they may dislike in other contexts.
"I’m super excited to be on the ice with them and compete with them," Ivankovic added. "In the end, we’re all trying to make each other better."
As the rules around college sports change, so too has the landscape of hockey development. Like football and basketball, new rules around transfers and NIL (name, image, likeness) have transformed the sport.
The impact is now being felt in the NHL. Two of the last three top picks in the draft were college players — Gavin McKenna (Penn State) in 2026 and Macklin Celebrini in 2024 (Boston University). Several of this year's first-rounders, like Nashville's No. 10 pick Wyatt Cullen, are headed to college instead of back to their junior teams.
"It’s good for the game, it’s good for players," said 2025 first-round pick Cameron Reid. He will be joining Ivankovic at Michigan in the fall after two seasons with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers.
"Just an opportunity to go to college and develop my game in a different way," he said.
In all, 12 recently drafted Predators prospects will be playing college hockey this season:
The pace of change for college sports is head-spinning. The NHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL, the premier junior hockey league in Canada) are working feverishly to accommodate the increased interest in college, but it's a moving target.
There's no guarantee that college hockey will look the same in five years, or even by next year's NHL draft. Next year's presumed top pick is defenseman Landon DuPont, who just recently announced he's headed to Michigan after spending two years with the Everett Silvertips (WHL).
With more and more players leaving junior hockey for college, a new reality for the NHL is setting in.
"If I would give advice to some of my buddies, I would say play those couple years in the OHL and then make that transition (to college)," Ivankovic said. "It's just the next step into that next level.”
FREE AGENCY OUTLOOK: Predators GM Chris MacFarland has 'tough decisions' ahead after free agency adds
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. Contact Alex at[email protected]. 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: How college hockey rivalries are changing Nashville Predators development camp
Continue reading...
That's where 37 draftees and camp invitees are working through drills at Nashville Predators development camp, a crucial week between the NHL draft and a long summer of off-ice training.
Though all players wear the Predators' navy and gold on the ice, their school colors vary. The scarlet and gray of Ohio State. The maize and blue of Michigan. The maroon and gold of Boston College.
There's even a healthy surge of rivalries in the room, an unintended consequence of college hockey's renaissance in the NHL.
Take Jack Ivankovic, Michigan's starting goaltender and Predators' 2025 second-round pick.
"We do not like the (Michigan) State guys," he said. "Coming in here, we’ll talk ... but once the (college) season starts, there’s definitely no talking at all."
Ryker Lee, a Michigan State forward and the Predators' 2025 first-round pick, acknowledged the same.
"It's funny seeing (Ivankovic)," Lee said. "I didn’t score on him (in college) this year. I’ve just been telling him I’m watching him this week, I’m going to see if I can score on him."
Development camp, which began June 28, provides NHL training simulation for draftees. It's an invaluable week of on-ice instruction with NHL coaches, culminating in the Future Stars game at Ford Ice Center Bellevue (July 3, 10:30 a.m.).
But this week, players also learn how to work with teammates they may dislike in other contexts.
"I’m super excited to be on the ice with them and compete with them," Ivankovic added. "In the end, we’re all trying to make each other better."
College hockey thrives at Nashville Predators' development camp
As the rules around college sports change, so too has the landscape of hockey development. Like football and basketball, new rules around transfers and NIL (name, image, likeness) have transformed the sport.
The impact is now being felt in the NHL. Two of the last three top picks in the draft were college players — Gavin McKenna (Penn State) in 2026 and Macklin Celebrini in 2024 (Boston University). Several of this year's first-rounders, like Nashville's No. 10 pick Wyatt Cullen, are headed to college instead of back to their junior teams.
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"It’s good for the game, it’s good for players," said 2025 first-round pick Cameron Reid. He will be joining Ivankovic at Michigan in the fall after two seasons with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers.
"Just an opportunity to go to college and develop my game in a different way," he said.
In all, 12 recently drafted Predators prospects will be playing college hockey this season:
- Michigan (Cameron Reid, Jack Ivankovic)
- Michigan State (Ryker Lee, Tommy Bleyl)
- Minnesota (Wyatt Cullen, Jacob Rombach)
- Northwestern (Miguel Marques)
- Boston (Victor Norringer)
- Boston College (Teddy Stiga)
- Ohio State (Erik Pahlsson, Jakub Milota)
- Harvard (Alex Huang)
The pace of change for college sports is head-spinning. The NHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL, the premier junior hockey league in Canada) are working feverishly to accommodate the increased interest in college, but it's a moving target.
You must be registered for see images attach
There's no guarantee that college hockey will look the same in five years, or even by next year's NHL draft. Next year's presumed top pick is defenseman Landon DuPont, who just recently announced he's headed to Michigan after spending two years with the Everett Silvertips (WHL).
With more and more players leaving junior hockey for college, a new reality for the NHL is setting in.
"If I would give advice to some of my buddies, I would say play those couple years in the OHL and then make that transition (to college)," Ivankovic said. "It's just the next step into that next level.”
FREE AGENCY OUTLOOK: Predators GM Chris MacFarland has 'tough decisions' ahead after free agency adds
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. Contact Alex at[email protected]. 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: How college hockey rivalries are changing Nashville Predators development camp
Continue reading...
