It seems like a name we’ll be bandying about over the course of training camp with much interest is Craig Smith. If there’s one place Nashville would love an early surprise in its Christmas stocking goal scoring is it. Smith not only played well at the World Championships this past spring and then decided to turn pro, but at Predators rookie games this week recorded six goals and seven points in just two contests. He’s turning some heads with his performances, including that of GM David Poile who ranked it among the best he can recall in his time with Nashville.

With all that being said, Smith is a little older than most of those rookies at 22, but it also bodes well that he had success playing against other professional players this past spring. In talking to him, it became apparent he felt that it was just the right decision to make and turn pro. So now eyes will be focused on him as he attempts to make the jump.

What Smith does seem to have (and is so hard to find) is a goal scorer’s instincts. Plus many of the Predators’ hockey ops talk about his intangibles – those little things you see in a player that make you think he could be the real deal. No one wants to put a mountain of pressure on the kid because that’s not the way to help anyone succeed, but just know that there will be plenty of focus on him and his play this fall.

Camp kicks off Friday morning with off-ice, and Saturday for on-ice activities. Odds are you’ll see me out at Centennial Sportsplex for camp. Don’t forget to check the training camp schedule right here on the web site.

And to everyone on the twittersphere, feel free to send questions to me through Twitter with hashtag #PredsRadio.