Nashville Predators
Goaltender Dylan Wells Inks Professional Tryout With Predators
With training camp just one week away, the Nashville Predators have offered their first professional tryout of the 2023 offseason to goaltender Dylan Wells, as first reported by CapFriendly.
Wells’ agent, Patrick Morris, confirmed the news to Nashville Hockey Now on Tuesday.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Wells played four seasons (2014-18) with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes before joining the Witchita Thunder in the ECHL then the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League.
After four years of working his way through the minors, Wells made his NHL debut last season with the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 5 against the Winnipeg Jets. He made 12 saves on 13 shots in relief of Arvid Soderblom with Chicago down 3-0 going into the final period.
Wells, a St. Catharines, Ontario native, has bounced around the NHL over the last couple of years. He was dealt by the Oilers to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations in July 2021. He signed a one-year two-way deal with the Blackhawks in November 2022.
His last move came on March 2 when the Blackhawks shipped him along with forward Max Domi to the Dallas Stars for goalie Anton Khudobin and a 2025 second-round pick.
Wells played in and won two games for the Idaho Steelheads, the Stars ECHL affiliate, posting a 1.99 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. In the AHL, Wells played in 20 games between the Rockford Ice Hogs and Texas Stars last season, going 9-7-1 overall with a 3.20 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Now on his fifth NHL team, the 25-year-old netminder joins a group of Predators minor league goalies that also includes Yaroslav Askarov, Troy Grosenick, and Tyler Harmon, the organization’s lone ECHL goalie who plays for the Atlanta Gladiators.
Harmon has just 10 games of ECHL experience, while Wells has logged 78 ECHL games with a 35-33-5 record.
Wells also has something in common with former Predators great Pekka Rinne. During his final year with the Petes in 2017, Wells scored against the Kingston Frontenacs during a playoff game on April 13 — a milestone many goaltenders, including Rinne, have dreamt of living out.
Goalie goal & celly from #Oilers prospect Dylan Wells last night. #Petes #OHL pic.twitter.com/DV45FTJUg5
— Kat (@msconduct) April 14, 2017
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter: @KieserNick
Roman Josi Named A Norris Trophy Finalist For Third Time
Alex Carrier’s Third-Period Heroics Keeps Predators’ Season Alive
Game 5 All About ‘Changing The Narrative’ For The Predators
Facing Elimination, Predators Need Their Veterans To Show Up
Predators-Canucks Series A Story Of Relentlessness vs. Resiliency
Predators Baffled Refs Overturned Major Penalty On Spencer Stastney Hit
Hockey Thoughts A Brewin’: Predators Are Playing An Unsustainable Style
Here’s What Went Wrong In Predators’ Game 3 Loss To Canucks
Here’s What Went Wrong In Predators’ Game 4 Loss To Canucks
Predators Bring Juuso Parssinen Back Into The Fold ‘Just In Case’
Game 2 Reaction: Saros Swings Momentum Back In Predators’ Favor
Game 1 Reaction: Predators’ Stars Disappear In Anticlimactic Showing
Playoff Preview: Breaking Down Predators vs. Canucks First-Round Series
From The Locker Room: Predators React To 6-Goal Rout Of Sharks
