Press Release:
Nashville, Tenn. (April 21, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Adam Payerl to a one-year contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $75,000 at the AHL level in 2016-17.
Payerl, 22 (3/4/91), has spent the 2015-16 campaign with Nashville’s primary developmental affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, posting 29 points (13g-16a) and 114 penalty minutes in 74 games and helping the club claim the Central Division title. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Kitchener, Ont., has appeared in 204 career AHL contests since 2012 with Milwaukee and Wilkes-Barre, amassing 60 points (23g-37a) and 284 penalty minutes, in addition to playing in two NHL games with Pittsburgh during the 2013-14 campaign (0pts, 2 PIMs).
Never drafted, Payerl played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with Barrie and Belleville from 2007-12, posting 143 points (60g-83a) and 303 penalty minutes in 306 games.
Adam Payerl provided a great veteran presence for a very young Milwaukee Admirals team. More recently, he has been placed on a line with two of Nashville’s top forward prospects Vladislav Kamenev and Kevin Fiala. With Kamenev and Fiala playing more of a skilled game, Payerl has provided a nice bit of grit, skill, and veteran experience and together, they have found a lot of success.
With this signing, it would seem that the Predators are looking to keep the veteran leader within their young system which keeps getting younger with Anthony Richard, Alexandre Carrier, Jack Dougherty, Justin Kirkland, Joonas Lyytinen, Janne Juvonen, and maybe even Yakov Trenin (depending on how the Gatineau Olympiques deal with their import players) and Aaron Irving (signed to a player tryout agreement) joining the team next season. Not only that, but Adam Payerl is a guy who has a bit of NHL experience as a callup with the Pittsburgh Penguins and maybe can be a player the Predators can count on in that role in the future.