2022 first round pick Joakim Kemell signs entry-level contract with Nashville

Finnish forward Joakim Kemell signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators on Friday. The Jyvaskyla native was drafted seventeenth overall by Nashville during the first round last Thursday.

Kemell, 18, spent the entire 2021-22 season in Finland's top division, Liiga, with JYP. In 39 games, Kemell had 23 points (fifteen goals, eight assists), two penalty minutes and was a minus-thirteen.

In early-November 2021, Kemell suffered an upper-body injury that kept him out of JYP's lineup for a month. At the time of the injury, Kemell, who was only 17 at the time, was leading Liiga in goals (12) and points (16). He was also the youngest player in Liiga history to earn Player of the Month honours, which he received in October.

Kemell has an incredible shot and it's not really clear as to why he may have dropped out of the top-ten, where he was projected to go for months. It's entirely possible that he becomes a 25-30 goal scorer at the National Hockey League level down the road.

SIGNED

The #Preds have signed forward Joakim Kemell to a three-year, entry-level contract.https://t.co/pisid07FYy— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 15, 2022

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