While the Nashville Predators aren't the oldest franchise in the NHL, they have a lot of history of picking in the first round of the NHL Draft.

In its 27-year history, the Predators have selected 25 times in the first round. Amongst those first-round selections, some have had massive success in Nashville, others have found it elsewhere, and a few have been busts.

With the Predators picking fifth, 23rd and 26th overall in this year's draft, we take a look back at every first-round pick by Nashville. 

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2017: Eeli Tolvanen (forward, 30th overall) 

This is the lowest the Predators have ever selected in the first round, and for good reason. 2017 was arguably Nashville's best season in franchise history, as the team made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, eventually falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. 

When the draft came around, the Predators selected Finnish forward Eeli Tolvanen with the 30th overall pick. In his draft year season with the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), Tolvanen netted 54 points in 52 games and had a plus/minus of 18. 

He'd spend the bulk of the 2017-18 season with Jokerit Helsinki in the KHL, scoring 36 points in 49 games. Tolvanen made his Predators debut that season, playing in three games but recording no points. 

From 2018 to 2020, Tolvanen played primarily in Milwaukee, with a few games also in Nashville. During the 2020-21 season, Tolvanen came into a regular role with the Predators, scoring 22 points in 40 games.

He also played for Finland at the 2018 Winter Olympics, recording nine points in five games.

The most games he played in Nashville were in the 2021-22 season, where he recorded 23 points in 75 games. In the middle of the 2022-23 season, Tolvanen was placed on waivers after recording four points in 13 games. 

He was picked up by the Seattle Kraken, where he has played for the last three seasons. He's finished with at least 35 points in the last two seasons, showing that he's found his fit in Seattle. 

2019: Philip Tomasino (forward, 24th overall) 

After trading their 2018 first-round pick, Victor Ejdsell and a fourth-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Hartman and a fifth-round pick, Nashville was back on the board in the first round in 2019. 

It used its 24th overall pick to select forward Philip Tomasino. With the Niagara Ice Dogs, he scored an impressive 72 points in 67 games, with a plus/minus of 37 and 32 penalty minutes, billing himself as a physical and productive forward. 

He'd spend two more seasons in the OHL before transitioning over to the AHL with the Chicago Wolves for the 2020-21 season. In his first professional season, Tomasino had 32 points in 29 games, earning a full-season call-up from Nashville for the 2021-22 campaign. 

This would be the only full season Tomasino would play with Nashville, recording 32 points in 76 games. Over the next two and a half seasons, Tomasino would split time between Nashville and Milwaukee, putting up steady scoring numbers on both rosters.

After a slow start to the 2024-25 season, recording a point in 11 games, Tomasino was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 draft. In 50 games with the Penguins, Tomasino scored 23 points. 

2020: Yaroslav Askarov (goalie, 11th overall) 

Drafting goalies in the first round hasn't gone historically well for the Predators. 

Chet Pickard (2008, 18th) never played a game for the Predators, and Brian Finley (1999, 6th) played less than five games with the Predators before getting traded to the Bruins and retiring.  

However, with Pekka Rinne nearing the end of his career, the Predators were looking for the next franchise starter and selected Yaroslav Askarov with the 11th overall pick. 

Askarov spent the majority of his draft year with Neva SKA in Russia's junior league, posting a 12-3-3 record, 2.45 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He'd bounce around St. Petersburg SKA's system for three years before finally making his professional debut in 2023. 

He played one game, allowing four goals on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Askarov spent the bulk of the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Milwaukee, posting identical .911 save percentages in 92 combined games. 

He was called up to Nashville for two games during the 2023-24 season, allowing two goals on 35 shots. In the offseason, Askarov was traded to the San Jose Sharks and has spent the bulk of his time with the San Jose Barracuda. 

Nashville did get a little bit more out of Askarov than it did with Pickard or Finley, but it is still struggling to draft the right goalie in the first round. 

2021: Fedor Svechkov (center, 19th overall) 

The Predators used the 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft to select a second straight Russian prospect in center Fedor Svechkov. 

In his draft year, Svechkov played in two different leagues with Tolyatti Lada. In the junior hockey league, he scored 15 points in 15 games before being promoted to the All-Russia Hockey League, where he had 15 points in 38 games. 

Svechkov stayed in Russia for a few more seasons, moving into the KHL with St. Petersburg SKA and Moscow Spartak before coming to North America to play in Milwaukee.

In his first AHL season, Svechkov scored 39 points in 57 games with the Admirals, leading to him splitting time in Nashville the next season.

During the 2024-25 season, Svechkov played 52 games with the Predators, scoring eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. In Milwaukee, he played 13 games, scoring 10 points. 

It took some time for Svechkov to make the jump over the pond to North America, but he has shown a lot of promise in his short time in the NHL. 

2021: Zachary L'Heureux (forward, 27th overall)  

For the first time since 2008, the Predators had multiple picks in the first round of the 2021 draft. They traded their second-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes to jump up to the 27th overall spot. 

With the newfound pick, Nashville selected forward Zachary L'Heureux from the Halifax Mooseheads. 

In his sophomore year in the QMJHL, L'Heureux scored 20 points in 33 games, complemented by 47 penalty minutes. He spent two more seasons in Halifax and stayed on trend as a physical and productive forward. 

L'Heureux joined the Admirals for the 2023-24 season, scoring 48 points in 66 games and logging a massive 197 penalty minutes. He was clutch in the Admirals' playoff run to the Central Division Finals, scoring 15 points in 15 games. 

This past season, he spent the bulk of the year in Nashville, scoring five goals and recording 10 assists in 62 games, while also accumulating 63 penalty minutes.  

Expect to see a lot more of L'Heureux in Nashville, as he has shown significant growth and, at just 22 years old, could be a major part of the future.