The Nashville Predators will have a strong footprint at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, with seven prospects earning spots on the rosters for Team Canada and Team USA.
Canada named Brady Martin, Cameron Reid, Alex Huang and Jack Ivankovic. USA will be represented by Wyatt Cullen, Tommy Bleyl and Jacob Rombach.
For a group that just came through development camp, the invitation is another chance to measure themselves against top young talent from around the world.
Martin is the headliner on the Canadian side. The 2025 fifth overall pick is one of Nashville’s top center prospects and could be among the first to reach the NHL this season.
He split last year across several levels, opening with three games in Nashville, then putting together a point-per-game season with the Soo Greyhounds before scoring his first professional goal in the AHL playoffs with Milwaukee. He also made noise at the World Juniors, finishing with four goals and eight points in six games while helping Canada win bronze.
Reid brings a different kind of resume. The defenseman has been one of the OHL’s best at his position over the last couple of seasons, and he backed it up this year with 15 goals and 56 points in 57 games.
As captain of the Kitchener Rangers, he helped guide the team to an OHL title and then the Memorial Cup. He and Martin were part of last season’s bronze-medal group at the WJC, and Reid is set to play at Michigan in the NCAA this season.
Huang also heads to the NCAA, with Harvard on deck. The 2025 fourth-round pick finished second among QMJHL defensemen with 70 points, trailing Bleyl by 11, and helped the Chicoutimi Saguenéens capture the QMJHL title. He also took home the league’s most sportsmanlike player trophy.
Ivankovic is the lone goalie prospect in the Predators’ Showcase group, but he arrives with plenty of attention. Last season at Michigan, he posted a .921 save percentage, a 2.15 goals-against average and three shutouts. He, too, was part of the bronze-medal team with Reid and Martin last year.
On the American side, Cullen arrives with plenty of buzz after being taken 10th overall by Nashville. He put up 45 points in the National Team Development Program league, finishing ninth in scoring with 16 goals and 29 assists.
At last year’s World Juniors, he scored three goals and nine points in five games, then earned a spot on the U18 WJC All-Star Team. He’ll play for Minnesota in the NCAA later this year.
Bleyl was another Predators pick who drew steal talk on draft day, and his production backed it up. He led the QMJHL with 81 points, earning CHL rookie of the year and QMJHL defenseman of the year honors.
In the playoffs, he added six points and 22 assists for 28 points. He’s committed to Michigan State this season, where he’ll be teammates with Ryker Lee.
Rombach rounds out the group after spending last season with Minnesota, where he had one goal and four points in 36 games. Offense isn’t his calling card, and that’s fine - at 6-foot-6 and 209 pounds, he’s built as a stay-at-home defender. He also won gold at the 2024-25 World Junior A Challenge under-19, finishing with one goal and one assist in five games and a spot on the All-Star Team.
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