Predators collegiate prospects pay the price - literally

July 8, 12:09 AMNashville Predators ExaminerJim Diamond

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Eleven of the 30 prospects taking part in the Nashville Predators Development Camp this week at the Centennial Sportsplex will be playing college hockey this fall. Due to NCAA regulations, these players are not able to receive any compensation or reimbursement of expenses. In order to retain their collegiate eligibility, these players are paying their own way to be at the camp.

Hockey is not an inexpensive sport by any means. High-end equipment, registration fees, and travel expenses are all part of the commitment a hockey player and that player’s family are forced to endure to continue playing the sport they love. For the players at the Development Camp, they see the financial outlay as money well spent both in terms of their hockey education and the message their presence sends to the Predators.

“It sends the right message to the organization that you want to be here and you want to play in Nashville one day,” forward Nick Oliver said. “I think it is a great tool for college guys to come here to help them get prepared for their upcoming seasons. I’m going to try and learn a lot here.”

The 6’3” 184-pound Oliver is headed for St. Cloud State University in the fall. He was selected in the 4th round (110th overall) of last month’s Entry Draft.

Fellow recent draftee Zach Budish echoed Oliver’s comments.

“It’s a big week in our development, and gets us started off on the right note,” Budish said. “I just got drafted a couple of weeks ago, so I wanted to come down here, have a good experience, and learn a lot of things hopefully.”

The 18-year-old Budish already possesses NHL size at 6’3” and 229 pounds. He is recovering from a torn ACL sustained in a high school football game last fall. That injury prevented him from playing his senior hockey season at Edina High in Edina, Minnesota. Had Budish not sustained the knee injury, there was a good chance he would have been selected in the first round of the Entry Draft. Nashville selected him in the second round with the 41st overall pick.

Budish, who will play for the University of Minnesota in the fall, credited his parents for their financial contribution allowing him to come to Nashville.

“My parents paid for the trip,” he said. “They have been very supportive. They thought it was a big honor for me to be invited here.”

Defenseman Jeff Foss, a sixth round selection in the 2008 Entry Draft is taking part in his second Development Camp.  The blueliner realizes the importance of the camp. 

“There are only a handful of kids that get to go to these camps," he said.  "You feel honored and special, so you’ve got to make it down here.”

In the fall, Foss will be a junior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Nashville’s Chief Amateur Scout Jeff Kealty is impressed by the collegiate players making their way to Nashville for the camp.

“It’s definitely a commitment on their end to come down here and pay their way and all that,” Kealty said. “It shows that they are invested in their career.

“They know it is a good week for their development, and it is going to make them that much better. It is a good educational week in more ways than one.”

When asked about seeing their names on the back of an NHL sweater for the first time, the players could not hide their excitement.

“It feels good,” Foss said. “When you put it on, you kind of feel like a big-time player. It’s exciting.”

“It’s pretty cool, I’m still in awe,” Oliver said. “I’m like a kid in a candy store right now just being in an NHL team’s facility. This is great just walking in seeing all of the pictures of the guys you watch on TV.”