Nashville Predators Sign Sam Girard to Entry Deal
The Nashville Predators added to their stockpile of supremely talented defensemen by agreeing to terms with their 2016 second round draft pick.
The Nashville Predators have a thing for keeping their roster full of highly skilled defenders, and they took a step towards ensuring that trend continues in the future by signing this past year’s second round draft pick, Sam Girard, to a three-year entry-level deal.
The 18-year-old was selected 47th overall, and he came with a cabinet full of individual awards. In his first of two years in the QMJHL he served as Defensive Rookie of the Year, following up with a 2015-16 campaign that earned him the CHL Sportsman of the Year, QMJHL Defenseman of the Year, QMJHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, Hlinka Memorial Gold Medal, and recognition for being the top scoring defenseman in the league.
In his second season with the Shawinigan Cataractes Girard averaged well over a point-per-game as a defender, piling up 74 points (10 goals, 64 assists) through 67 games. He continued his high level of production in the postseason, gathering another 22 points (2 goals, 20 assists) in 21 contests.
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Girard has drawn loose comparisons to the Nashville Predators own Ryan Ellis for being an offensively oriented, yet comparatively undersized defenseman. He’s listed as 5’10, 161 lbs by some prospect sources, while others have him at a disadvantaged 5’9.
He is regarded as holstering exceptional passing ability and uses his Hockey IQ to become an immediate offensive threat- the exact kind of puck-moving blueliner the NHL and Nashville Predators are trending towards. Girard operates fantastically as quarterback on the powerplay, where he earned 38 of his 74 points.
A notably fluid skater, scouts have also commended the young player on his fearlessness in delivering hits and willingness to scrap after the whistle, despite a size disadvantage.
Though there is room for improvement on his shot and defensive stickwork, Girard was considered by one scout from Hockeyprospect.com to be “a top-10 talent” in the 2016 draft, who would fall because of the issues brought on by his size.
Only time will tell if his cerebral advantages will translate him into a legitimate NHL threat- and it will be exciting to watch him do it with the Nashville Predators.
It could be possible that the left-shooting Girard one day finds himself guarding the blue line with 2016 first round draft pick Dante Fabbro- composing the kind of young and explosive defensive tandems that have become something of a Smashville signature.
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