2019 Preds #1 draft pick Phillip Tomasino[Photo by NHL.com]

In all, five forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender are now a part of the Nashville depth chart, a positive weekend for the club as they look to improve their prospect pool.

“We’re happy with the way it went,” Preds Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty said of the draft. “We had to adjust to things on the fly a little bit with the trade that went on, but we were ready for it. We were prepared, and we thought that we got a lot of guys that we wanted, a lot of guys we had targeted and talked about. That’s always what you hope for, and time will tell. It takes a few years for it to all play out, but we were happy with the way the weekend went.”

Thanks in part to a trade Saturday morning that sent P.K. Subban to New Jersey, the Preds began the day of drafting in the second round by selecting winger Egor Afanasyev with the 45th overall pick. The 6-foot-4 Russian, who skated with Muskegon of the United States Hockey League last season and is slated to join the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League this fall, has all the makings of a power forward and says he models his game after Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’m excited for sure, and I can’t wait to get things started with Nashville,” Afanasyev said. “I’ve heard it’s a great team, and I’ve heard a lot of NHL players say it’s hard to play against them because the fans are going nuts [at Bridgestone Arena]. It should be fun.”

The Predators had Afanasyev ranked higher than where they were able to snag him, and the group was thrilled to come away with a player they feel has tremendous potential.

“He’s a big, strong, skilled offensive forward,” Predators North American Scout David Westby said. “He can protect the puck well and is strong on the boards and in the corners. I’d say he’s more of a shooter than a playmaker, but he’s hard to play against. I think he’s a top-six forward and with his time in junior hockey will be a productive player at the NHL level.”

Round 3 brought about the 65th overall pick to Nashville, and they selected Alexander Campbell, a skilled, speedy centerman. Campbell skated with Victoria of the BCHL last season, recording 21 goals and 67 points in 53 games.

“It’s a huge honor, and I’m super excited,” Campbell said of being selected by Nashville. “It’s a team I love to watch, definitely. They have a heck of an organization; great group of forwards, defensemen and goaltenders…. To be sitting here with a Predators jersey on, it doesn’t even feel real to me.”

The fourth round saw the Preds make two selections, the first of which went to defenseman Marc Del Gaizo out of UMass at No. 109. The 5-foot-9 defenseman potted 13 goals and 29 points during his freshman season with the Minutemen, numbers that led him to a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

Just eight slots later, Nashville went with defenseman Semyon Chistyakov out of Ufa, Russia. Ranked much higher than 117 by a number of pre-draft publications, the 5-foot-10 blueliner helped Russia to a silver medal at the U-18 World Junior Championship and was named one of the team’s three-best players at the tournament.

The Predators snagged a goaltender in Round 5, choosing Ethan Haider from the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL. Committed to Clarkson University for the 2020-21 season, Haider posted a 2.35 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 37 contests on his way to being named the NAHL Midwest Goaltender of the Year.

Isak Walther heard his name called in Round 6 by the Preds at pick No. 179, a winger who has skated with the Södertälje SK organization in Sweden. He moved up to the Södertälje SK J20 club by the end of last season after posting impressive numbers at the junior levels.

Finally, at pick No. 210, it was Finnish forward Juuso Parssinen who got to come out of the crowd at Rogers Arena and slip on the final Preds jersey of the 2019 Draft.

“It’s amazing, and it’s a dream come true,” Parssinen said. “There weren’t many picks to go, but I got drafted, so that’s the main thing.”

“He is a big centerman who plays a good all-around game,” Predators European Scout Janne Kekalainen said. “He has some good offensive abilities he has to use a little more. He has a heavy shot, is good on faceoffs and protects the puck really well. Like I said, he needs to use what he has more actively to produce some more offense. He has a terrific mentality.”

Tomasino was Nashville’s top prize from the draft, with Preds scouts eager to see their new centerman at Development Camp in Tennessee next week and beyond.

“He’s a really dynamic player,” Predators Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan said. “He attacks, plays with high-end speed and has real good instincts with and without the puck. He’s a top-six forward, we feel. He has a great personality and will fit in well as time goes on.”

In addition to the Subban deal, the Preds made a minor trade, also with New Jersey, sending forward Adam Helewka to the Devils for future considerations.

Predators Development Camp begins on Tuesday in Nashville with on-ice sessions at Centennial Sportsplex. A full schedule of events for Nashville’s top prospects can be seen at: https://www.nhl.com/predators/team/practice-schedule

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The Nashville Sounds tied a season-high with four home runs as they beat the New Orleans Baby Cakes 6-5. Eli White led the way for the Sounds’ offense getting three hits, including a home run and added a stolen base.

The first pitch of the game was a home run by Zack Granite, which was his second home run of the season. That put Nashville up 1-0.

Matt Davidson was the next to hit a homer with a two-run shot in the third inning. Carlos Tocci scored on the hit and the Sounds were up 3-0.

The Baby Cakes plated their first run in the bottom of the fifth. Tyler Heineman was able to reach third base with less than two outs and Monte Harrison hit a sacrifice fly to get the run across to make it 3-1. But Nashville doubled that total in the top half of the sixth with a Patrick Wisdom two-run homer to put the score at 5-1.

White hit his home run in the top of the seventh to add an insurance run late in the top of the seventh. That would give the Sounds their 11th homer of the season and the 6-1 lead. Eddy Alvarez softened the blow with a solo home run himself in the bottom half of the inning to make the game 6-2.

New Orleans would get close in the ninth inning. Three runs would score in the with the tying run on second base and the winning run at first, but David Carpenter finished the job for the Sounds as Nashville won 6-5. It was Carpenter’s 10th save of the season.

The Sounds travel to Memphis to complete their nine-game road trip with a four-game series against the Redbirds. Left-handed pitcher Joe Palumbo (0-0, —) will make his Triple-A debut for the Sounds while Memphis will throw right-hander Anthony Shew (1-3, 5.17).

Post-Game Notes

– With tonight’s 6-5 win, the Sounds go to 31-45 on the season.

– Matt Davidson hit his 20th homer of the season and now has eight different seasons in which he has that many home runs.

– Reliever Ronald Herrera made his first appearance with Nashville since May 25 versus Round Rock where he earned the loss in a start. He has pitched with Double-A Frisco since then, making three starts.

– Zack Granite’s leadoff home run was the second time a Sound has done so. Delino DeShields was the other hitter to do so this season, back on back on May 30 versus New Orleans.

– Eli White’s 10th home run of the season sets his career high.

– This 3-2 series win is Nashville’s fourth of the season. They are 4-11-2 thus far in series matchups.

The 2019 season is the 42nd in Nashville Sounds franchise history and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.