Nashville Predators Midseason Mock Draft: Landing Prized Prospect at No. 3

Recent improvements notwithstanding, the Nashville Predators are still the third-worst team in the NHL. Only the bottom-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks are worse this season.

But, having said that, the Predators are in a position that those two teams are not. After selecting Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini in 2023 and 2024, respectively, the Blackhawks and Sharks have their franchise players already.

The Predators do not.

This can (and probably will) lead to unpredictable results at the top of the draft order, which bodes well for Nashville. And for this exercise, we'll ignore the existence of the draft lottery and have the Predators pick from where their selections are in the standings.

With the third pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators select...

James Hagens, Center, Boston College (NCAA)

Maybe we're reading too much into this, but the Blackhawks took Sacha Boisvert in the first round in 2024, and Oliver Moore in the first round in 2023. Bedard needs a running mate rather than center depth behind him, so Porter Martone goes there at No. 1.

At No. 2, the Sharks take Matthew Schaefer, the top defenseman in this draft class. With players like Celebrini, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, Will Smith, Quentin Musty, Collin Graf, and Igor Chernyshev in the NHL or coming through the system, San Jose opts to build out the defense, taking a rearguard in the first round for the second year in a row.

This allows the Predators to land James Hagens, generally the first- or second-ranked forward, with the third pick.

Hagens, a Hauppauge, N.Y., native, has five goals, 16 assists, and 21 points in 19 games with Boston College this season. The 18-year-old also played for Team USA at the 2025 World Junior Championships, rattling off five goals, four assists, and nine points in seven games as he, Teddy Stiga, and Joey Willis won a Gold Medal.

Although Hagens is on the smaller side at 5-foot-10, he's the full package offensively. Hagens is smart, quick, competitive, dangerous, and deceptive--usually all at the same time--with the puck on his stick. The Boston College ace can manipulate his opponents with and without the puck, giving him the makings of a surefire offensive threat at the NHL level.

The Predators, who have scored the fewest goals in the NHL this year, need that in the worst way.

With the 20th pick (TBL) in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators select...

Blake Fiddler, Right Defence, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Every NHL team strives to have a blue-chip right-shot defenseman either on their roster or in their system; right now, the Predators have neither. By adding a player like Blake Fiddler through the draft with an "extra" first-round pick, the Predators and Predators fans would have plenty to be excited about.

Fiddler, the son of longtime Predators forward Vernon Fiddler and a Nashville native, brings to the table everything you could ask for from a defenseman. Fiddler is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, skates well, moves the puck efficiently, and has the willingness to create offense himself.

Whether he can do that at the pro level remains to be seen, but Fiddler was blessed with natural size and length in addition to the NHL pedigree he inherited from dad.

Fiddler will have to continue to work on improving his decision-making, as prospects often do, to become a top-of-the-lineup player, but he has all the potential to develop into a long-term complement to players like Tanner Molendyk and Roman Josi, for example.

With the 30th pick (VGK) in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators select...

Joshua Ravensbergen, Goalie, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Even though he signed an eight-year extension in the summer, the Predators are not going to have Juuse Saros forever.

They swapped Yaroslav Askarov for David Edstrom and more, but with Askarov out of the picture, the Predators no longer have a long-term heir to the goal crease, something they've had for most of the last two decades. Dan Ellis preceded Pekka Rinne, Pekka Rinne preceded Juuse Saros, and Juuse Saros precedes... Justus Annunen?

Saros will turn 30 years old in April, is coming off the two worst statistical seasons of his NHL career, and has played no fewer than 64 games in each of the last three years. The jury is still out on Annunen, so the Predators are wise here to grab arguably the best goalie in the 2025 draft class in Joshua Ravensbergen.

Ravensbergen, 18, is a 6-foot-5, right-catching goalie ranked well inside the top 30 by most major scouting outlets, giving him a great chance to be a first-round pick in June.

The Prince George warden has recorded 20 wins in each of the last two seasons and had an impressive postseason run last year, posting a 9-2-1 playoff record to the tune of a 1.98 GAA, a .931 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Only two goalkeepers in the entire WHL have a save percentage greater than .910 this season, so it would be pointless to discuss Ravensbergen's lackluster numbers overall and his decline from last year to this year.

Some of Ravensbergen's best traits (aside from his enormous stature) include his competitive level, athleticism, ability to read the game, and ability to track the puck. If the Predators select Ravensbergen, they'll put him in a favorable situation with minimal pressure to succeed right away behind Saros.

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