All week long the Nashville Predators have been conducting its prospects camp as a way to get a better read on where recent draftees and prospects currently sit in regards to career development.

Once a player is selected or signed to the Predators organization, there is a giant web of support and help available to guide them through the process. Martin Gelinas has been Nashville’s Director of Player Development for over a year now and quickly becomes a familiar face and voice to Preds picks. Along with Nashville’s excellent staff of trainers and doctors, players are just a phone call away from receiving help on any topic from weight lifting to nutrition or on and off ice drills.

Among Nashville’s brightest prospects is defenseman Ryan Ellis, who comes off a stellar career in the Ontario Hockey League where he captured almost every available honor and record for defensemen. But when you talk to him now, you can hear the Nashville in his voice – and not because of an accent.

Ellis knows that he’s had to continue improving on his already solid stats and skills, and gives credit to the Predators staff for helping him in many forms.

“The (prospect) camps are great. Not only do you get to meet your fellow prospects and make friends but also measure yourself against them. I know the knock against me has been my defensive game, and I’ve really worked on that in the past year while continuing to develop my offensive side as well.”

It’s clear the Predators have ingrained the work ethic in Ellis, even on top of what he already had. He looks like he’s taken to the weight room and has filled out more as his body matures, under the guidance of Preds staffers like Strength and Conditioning Coach David Good. This year’s training camp will be a great test for Ellis, who landed in Milwaukee at the tail end of last year’s playoff run for the Admirals. That experience helped give him a taste of the pro game and perhaps even better prepares him for a shot at the big club this year, which is his ultimate goal.

Another player who has benefitted from the guidance of Nashville’s careful eye is Zach Budish. Taken in the same 2009 Draft Class as Ellis at #41 overall, his stock slipped when as a high school senior he injured his knee playing football and missed his entire hockey season. Recently Zach hurt his other knee in an accident and is currently rehabbing to get back up to speed and return to playing for the University of Minnesota. His doctors at both the university and with the Predators have been in constant contact, keeping his rehab on track and making sure he gets to 100% as soon as possible.

It might be something that gets overlooked, but the support system the Predators put in place covers everything: on-ice training and drills, off-ice workouts, nutrition, and even ways to handle bumps in the road that all 18-20 year olds will come across. Perhaps a big reason why the Preds do so well with homegrown talent is largely in the behind-the-scenes process of nurturing those prospects into future NHL players and upstanding young men at the same time. It’s time the organization receives credit for the job it does.