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Nashville signs Adam Wilsby to entry-level deal

Today, the Nashville Predators announced they have signed defender Adam Wilsby to a two-year, entry-level contract.


Entry-Level Expectations: Adam Wilsby


The 21-year-old Swede was taken 101st overall at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by Nashville—his last year of draft eligibility. Standing at 6’0” tall, Wilsby has grown up in the Skellefteå system and played the last two seasons in the SHL. In his draft year, he quietly posted 30 points in 41 games in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan before making the jump to the top league for the 2020-21 campaign.

In 48 games that year, Wilsby scored six goals and 18 points, finishing eighth on the team and scoring and second amongst defenders. This year, Wilsby notched just four goals and 17 points in 51 games while averaging just 17:17 of ice time each night—fourth among defenders on Skellefteå.

Wilsby has developed into a smooth-skating blueliner who loves to move the puck up the ice and takes chances with it here and there. His technically-sound skating mechanics allow him to cover much of the ice with impressive pace and have led to him being an excellent transition player. In ten games tracked this season, he successfully exited the defensive zone with possession on 71.93% of his attempts and allowed opponents a clean zone entry on just 41.27% of their attempts.

Wilsby was also one of the top possession defenders in the SHL this year, recording a 58.33% Corsi at even strength in ten games tracked.

Wilsby’s contract begins in the 2022-23 season, and he will be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2024. The financial details of the deal have yet to be confirmed. On The Forecheck reached out to Wilsby’s agent, Erik Wallström, who confirmed Wilsby plans to head to Milwaukee for the remainder of this season once his visa paperwork is finalized and that his focus is on North America for next season.


All statistics are courtesy of eliteprospects.com, shl.se, or manually tracked.