While the Nashville Predators aren't the oldest franchise in the NHL, they have a lot of history of picking in the first round of the NHL Draft.
In its 27-year history, the Predators have selected 25 times in the first round. Amongst those first-round selections, some have had massive success in Nashville, others have found it elsewhere, and a few have been busts.
With the Predators picking fifth, 23rd and 26th overall in this year's draft, we take a look back at every first-round pick by Nashville.
MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft pick: 1998-2002
MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft Pick: 2003-2008
2009: Ryan Ellis (defenseman, 11th overall)
A Predators defensive staple, Ryan Ellis was selected by the Predators 11th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
In his draft year with the Windsor Spitfires, Ellis recorded an impressive 89 points in 57 games and won the 2009 Memorial Cup. He'd stay with the Spitfires for two more seasons following the draft, winning the Memorial Cup again in 2010 and finishing with 61 points in 48 games.
In his final junior season, Ellis had a whopping 101 points in 58 games.
In his first two NHL seasons, Ellis flipped between Nashville and Milwaukee, but found a permanent spot on the Predators roster during the 2013-14 season, recording 27 points in 80 games.
Ellis was able to translate his junior success to the professional stage, averaging 33 points a season from 2013 to 2020 and a plus/minus of 15. He had a career-high 41 points in 82 games during the 2018-19 season.
Ellis was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021 for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick. He played four games with the Flyers, but suffered a "complex" pelvic injury that has left him sidelined since then.
2010: Auston Watson (forward, 18th overall)
While Austin Watson has played over 500 NHL games, he struggled to find his way with the Predators.
He was drafted 18th overall by the Predators in 2010. In his draft year, he was traded from the Windsor Spitfires to the Peterborough Petes, combining for 54 points in 52 games between the two teams.
Watson was brought up to Milwaukee for five games but was sent back down to the OHL and played three more seasons in juniors, winning the OHL Championship in 2012 with the London Knights.
In his professional stint, Watson logged strong numbers with the Admirals, scoring 128 points in 227 games. He made his debut with the Predators during the 2012-13 season, scoring one point in six games.
He found a regular spot in the Predators' roster from 2016 to 2020 and took a role as a bottom-six player. Watson's best season in Nashville was 2017-18, during which he recorded 19 points in 76 games and 123 penalty minutes.
He was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2021 for a fourth-round draft pick. He has since played with the Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. This past season, he played 13 games with the Detroit Red Wings and 60 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
2013: Seth Jones (defenseman, 4th overall)
After not selecting in the first round for four years, the Predators had their highest pick since 1998 at the 2013 NHL Draft, selecting defenseman Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick.
Jones dominated in his first, and only, junior season with the Portland Winterhawks. He scored 56 points in 61 games, with a plus/minus of 46. In the playoffs, he scored 15 points in 21 games, contributing to the Winterhawks' WHL Championship victory.
Jones won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the top rookie in the WHL, and won the gold medal with the United States at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was a highly decorated prospect with immense potential.
Unlike a lot of the Predators' draft picks, Jones made the jump to the NHL as soon as he was drafted. He played 77 games and scored 25 points. However, he'd only spend three seasons in Nashville.
In the final year of his entry-level contract, and scoring just 11 points in 40 games, Jones was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for center Ryan Johansen.
With the Blue Jackets, Jones experienced newfound success, with his best season coming during the 2017-18 season, when he recorded 57 points in 78 games and earned one of three NHL All-Star bids. Towards the end of his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he struggled with injuries and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Jones spent three and a half seasons with the Blackhawks, earning another All-Star bid in 2023 before requesting a trade in 2025. He was traded to the Florida Panthers and won the Stanley Cup that season.
The Predators may have walked away from Jones a little too early, as he has proven to be one of the top defensive talents in the league. It just took a second for him to find his stride.
2014: Kevin Fiala (forward, 11th overall)
Kevin Fiala is another player who developed with the Predators but didn't find success until he left Nashville.
Selected by the Predators 11th overall in the 2014 draft, Fiala split time between the Swedish junior league and the Swedish Hockey League in his draft year. He had 25 points in 27 games with HV71's junior team and 11 points in 17 games with the top club.
He also had five points in five games with Switzerland at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
He spent one more year in Sweden after being drafted before splitting time between Milwaukee and Nashville. During the 2015-16 season, he played 66 games with the Admirals, scoring 50 points, but scored just one point in five games with the Predators.
Fiala didn't break out until the 2017-18 season, when he had 48 points in 80 games. Through 64 games during the 2018-19 season, Fiala had 32 points, but was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Mikael Granlund. He'd add seven points in 19 games with the Wild that season.
Fiala's production only continued to increase following the trade. He had a career-high 85 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season and has scored at least 60 points since 2021.
In his latest season with the Los Angeles Kings, Fiala had 60 points in 81 games. He also earned IIHF World Championship MVP honors at the 2024 tournament and has won back-to-back silver medals.
This is another player the Predators may have traded too soon. Toward the end of his time in Nashville, Fiala showed that he was ready to break out, but the Predators leaned toward a more veteran player in Granlund.
2016: Dante Fabbro (defenseman, 17th overall)
Dante Fabbro didn't grow into a franchise player, but was still a productive piece on the blue line for the Predators.
Selected 17th overall out of the British Columbia Hockey League, Fabbro was selected for his offensive approach to the game, scoring 67 points in 45 games with the Penticton Vees.
It would take three years before Fabbro made his debut with the Predators, spending three seasons with Boston University. In his final college season, 2018-19, he had 33 points in 38 games.
In his first full season during the 2019-20 campaign, Fabbro scored 11 points in 64 games. His career slowly rose, with his peak coming during the 2021-22 season, when he scored 24 points in 66 games and had a plus/minus of 13.
He signed a contract extension in 2024, but his numbers continued to decline, and he was placed on waivers after scoring no points in six games. He was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets and has had a resurgence with a new team.
In 62 games with the Blue Jackets, Fabbro scored 26 points in 62 games, the highest point total of his career so far.
While Fabbro was slow to develop, it seems more like he wasn't a good fit for Nashville's defensive system.
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