In his appearance on 102.5 The Game, Nashville general manager Chris MacFarland spoke about the organization's top prospect, Brady Martin, and where he is developmentally, their plans for him and his performance so far this season in the AHL.

The 2025 5th overall pick was selected for the Predators' final opening day roster in his first season with the organization. Last season, Martin totaled one point in his 34 minutes of ice time across three outings. He spent the rest of the year with Nashville's American Hockey League affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals.

The 19-year-old has had some notable moments with the Admirals once again this year, as he was not added to the Predators' day-one roster this time around. Instead, the team opted to center his development in Milwaukee, carefully monitoring his performance and workload.

"Milwaukee is a pretty important part of what we do," MacFarland said. "He is a very important part of our development. We've got a development plan for him."

While the Predators have a logjam at the team's center position in their top lines, Martin is free to play his natural position with the Admirals, whereas he'd likely be a winger in Nashville.

In six appearances with his AHL team, Martin has totaled three goals, tying for the team lead. However, he is just seventh on the team in shots on goal with 11. The stellar efficiency makes him the team leader in shooting percentage for players with at least 5 attempts, scoring on 27.3% of his shots. MacFarland commented on Martin's goal scoring prowess.

"What Brady is gonna bring is that grit and goal-scoring combination that every team needs," MacFarland said. "He is a hard-working guy, finds inside ice and he can make a play on the rush."

While the general manager has been impressed by the prospect so far this season, he'd like to see Martin make strides elsewhere.

"We wanna see him get sturdier and stiffer on the wall in the offensive zone and hold onto the puck. Go low to high and then drive the net and find those ugly goals," MacFarland said. "I think that's going to be a big part of his game."

The front office seems to have high hopes for Martin's future and is continuing to mold him into a type of player that fits the long-term plans of the franchise. They are not only drawn to his physical capabilities but also to his abilities as a teammate.

"Brady, as a young pro, is gonna have untapped leadership potential. He's a likable young man that I think players are drawn to," MacFarland mentioned.

Moving forward, the team wants to avoid putting too much stress on Martin as he continues to build on his game. MacFarland spoke about the necessity of days off, which could be key to getting his strength and conditioning to where they would like it to be.

It has been more than a decade since Nashville has had such a promising prospect. It is evident that the organization is being incredibly careful with Martin's development.

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