© Sadie Parker

Hiroki Gojsic and Tanner Molendyk each scored, but the Nashville Predators prospects ultimately opened the 2024 NHL Rookie Showcase presented by Ticketmaster on Friday falling to the Florida Panthers rookies, 5-2, at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

Shots on goal were a close 32-21 in favor of the visitors, and the Predators rookies found themselves stung by penalty trouble, ending the first game of the weekend’s tournament in the box for 12 total minutes.

Not that the result was too disappointing. After all, Rookie Camp and the weekend’s showcase is more about the learning process, and for a select few, ramping up for next week’s pro camp.

“We’re trying to give these kids a heads up that this is what [Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette] wants, this is what you’re going to see in camp,” Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor said. “You’re going to get here six days ahead of everyone else and hopefully that’ll give you a leg up when camp starts. So, we’re just trying to help them get leapfrogged into that. Obviously, we want to win every game we play. We’re not going to apologize for playing aggressive and hard. That’s what we do. Unfortunately, that kind of got us in penalty trouble today. Come the game tomorrow, we’re going to play aggressive and hard again.”

QUICK HITS

Hiroki Goes Top Shelf

Despite the result, 2024 third-round pick (94th overall) Hiroki Gojsic gave the crowd at Ford Ice Center Bellevue a goal to remember.

Capitalizing on a Florida turnover and entering the zone behind the Panthers’ defenders, Gojsic picked his spot and went top shelf over the towering shoulder of six-foot-eight netminder Cooper Black.

Top shelf https://t.co/jUJ8eR58h9 pic.twitter.com/aetZBY5Xui

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) September 13, 2024

“I’m a shoot first guy,” Gojsic said. “I saw an opening, so I just took it and it ended up going in. It was good to see it go in, for sure.”

O Captains, My Captains

Predators prospects and Admirals teammates Joakim Kemell, Zach L’Heureux and Reid Schaefer each had the distinct honor of opening the weekend’s showcase with navy ‘As’ stitched to their sweaters.

While Taylor said he’ll likely rotate those three out for Saturday or Monday’s games, the decision to recognize the trio’s leadership qualities with captaincy roles was not made without consideration.

“We have guys that have been around, and we want them to help the other players,” Taylor said. “Some years we’ve had someone like Tommy Novak who was a fourth-year guy, but at rookie camp this year, we’re much younger. We were very young in Milwaukee, and this group is young as well when you look at the overall age. So we’re going to rotate guys in and out of the lineup. Those three guys aren’t going to play every game. But we have seven people that have played for me the last year that were forwards and played the whole year. So, that’s our leadership group.”

“It was a little surprise for me today when I got to the rink,” Kemell said. “But I really appreciated that. That’s a huge thing for me, and I respect that a lot that the coach gave it to me.”

UP NEXT

The Predators rookies return to the ice on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects squad. Click here to get tickets.

All six of the showcase’s games will be broadcast live on NashvillePredators.com/Livestream with Willy Daunic, Chris Mason, Hal Gill, Pete Weber, Max Herz and Jay More providing commentary on a rotational basis.