The Predators announced that they’ve assigned winger Joakim Kemell to AHL Milwaukee. They now carry an open roster spot into tonight’s game against the Canadiens, although it doesn’t appear they plan on filling it for now.
It’s a prudent move to get their 2022 first-round choice some playing time. Kemell cracked Nashville’s opening night roster for the first time this year but has been in and out of the lineup, sitting as a healthy scratch twice through their first four games. He didn’t record a point in either of his outings and averaged 11:04 of ice time per game, but did manage five shot attempts and four hits. Nashville did lose the possession battle with Kemell on the ice at even strength, logging a 45.5 CF%, but that’s not bad considering it’s better than how the team fared without him and he started two-thirds of his shifts in the defensive end.
If they weren’t going to be consistently using him, though, it does very little for his development to sit in the Preds’ press box. The 17th overall pick three years ago is kicking off the second year of his entry-level contract and has done well in AHL minutes so far, although the Preds would like to see him flirt more with the point-per-game threshold in the minors. He has a 41-53–94 scoring line in 146 appearances for Milwaukee since arriving there late in the 2022-23 campaign from his native Finland.
While the Preds leaned into a youth movement with their initial roster submission, they haven’t embraced it in their lineup construction so far. This year’s No. 5 overall pick, Brady Martin, got a brief look on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly but, like Kemell, has averaged under 12 minutes per game and has been a healthy scratch twice. 23-year-old Ozzy Wiesblatt was a healthy scratch for three straight to begin the year but had two assists in 9:30 of ice time in his season debut against Toronto earlier this week. Even 22-year-old Fedor Svechkov, technically the Preds’ second-line center, has had his minutes relatively limited for his role at 13:02 per game.
That doesn’t necessarily bode well for Kemell’s chances for a recall later in the season, but he’ll look to force their hand anyway with a strong minor-league performance. His power-play performance in the AHL could be something to watch. The Preds are just 1-for-17 to begin the season with the man advantage.