The Nashville Predators will have many of their top prospects in town next week when they officially open their 2010 Developmental Camp on Tuesday, July 6 at Centennial Sportsplex at 7 a.m. with fitness testing. The camp continues through Sunday, July 11 with the first of four on-ice sessions coming at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 7.

The purpose of the camp is to educate and direct players in their pro development and conditioning programs, and the week’s events will be presided over by the Predators coaching staff. Strength and Conditioning Coach David Good will lead the scheduled training regimen, which includes a variety of dry-land activities and workouts, on-ice fundamentals work, off-ice testing and team-building activities. The players will also receive instruction on training principles such as sport-specific power and strength enhancement, flexibility and off-ice conditioning.

Coaches and members of the Predators’ player development/scouting staff will be assisted by Director of Player Development Martin Gelinas, Admirals head coach Lane Lambert and assistant coach Ian Herbers.

Each of the club’s first or second-round selections from the past five drafts will be in attendance, including 2010 first-rounder Austin Watson and four of the other five prospects selected in last weekend’s draft.

2010 Developmental Camp Roster

Prospect Notes

- All but three camp attendees were drafted by Nashville – Linus Klasen and Ian McKenzie were signed as free agents, and Matt Halischuk was acquired via trade. Of the 32 draftees, five were first-rounders (Watson, Ellis, Wilson, Blum, Pickard), six came from the second round (Budish, Geoffrion, Spaling, Josi, Jeremy Smith, Roussel), four were third-rounders (Aronson, Beck, Latta, Thang), five were fourth-rounders (Craig Smith, Ekholm, Oliver, Ryan, Santorelli), three were fifth-rounders (Bourque, Cehlin & Stefishen), three were sixth-rounders (Bitetto, Flynn, Foss), and six were seventh-rounders (Rask, Reid, Elsner, Lajunen, Engren, Lindback).

- The Camp includes 14 players who have participated in the World Junior Championships a combined 23 times. Roman Josi (2010, 2009, 2008 & 2007) has played in a team-high four WJC’s for the Swiss, while Blake Geoffrion (United States, 2007 & 2008), Jonathon Blum (United States, 2009 & 2008), Colin Wilson (United States, 2009 & 2008), Jani Lajunen (Finland, 2010 & 2009), Joonas Rask (Finland, 2010 & 2009) and Ryan Ellis (Canada, 2010 & 2009) have each appeared in the tournament twice. Six other gained the experience one time each: Gabriel Bourque (Canada, 2010), Mattias Ekholm (Sweden, 2010), Chet Pickard (Canada, 2009), Ryan Flynn (United States, 2008), Jeremy Smith (United States, 2008), Matt Halischuk (Canada, 2008) and Atte Engren (Finland, 2006). Four prospects will attend their respective nations’ WJC Development Camp this summer: Zach Budish (United States), Austin Watson (United States), Ryan Ellis (Canada) and Charles-Olivier Roussel (Canada).

- The Camp will be a reunion of sorts for Nick Spaling and Matt Halischuk. The duo played on a line (along with Justin Azevedo) with the 2007-08 Kitchener Rangers squad that won the OHL title and advanced to the 2008 Memorial Cup Finals. Other tandems who have played together in the last couple seasons (outside of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals) were Craig Smith and Geoffrion at the University of Wisconsin, Flynn and Budish at the University of Minnesota, Ryan and Thang at the University of Notre Dame, and Taylor Beck and Michael Latta with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Ellis and Watson won a Memorial Cup together with Windsor in 2009, and were teammates last season until Watson was traded to Peterborough in January.

- Family connections: Besides having a grandfather and great grandfather in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a father who was a former NHLer, Geoffrion’s two younger brothers, Brice and Sebastien, play for the University of Alabama-Huntsville. In 2008-09, Sebastien and Anthony Bitteto played together on the USHL’s Indiana Ice… Joonas Rask’s older brother, Tuuka, led the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage with the Boston Bruins in 2009-10… Chet Pickard’s younger brother, Calvin, was selected 37th overall in the 2010 Draft by Colorado… Mark Santorelli’s older brother, Mike, is also a Predators prospect, and led Milwaukee in points and goals last season… Jani Lajunen has been teammates with his older brother, Ville, in the Espoo Blues organization for the past three seasons.

- Making the Jump: Three prospects are expected to play their first seasons in North America in 2010-11 (Klasen & Lindback from Sweden and Josi from Switzerland), while four others will be rookie pros after playing juniors/college hockey a season ago (Flynn, Geoffrion & Thang from the NCAA and Bourque from major junior).