Predators sign Daniel Nieminen to three-year, entry-level contract
The Nashville Predators have agreed to terms with defense prospect Daniel Nieminen on a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Nieminen, 20, spent the 2025-26 season with the Lahti Pelicans in the top-level Finnish Liiga, collecting five goals and 17 points in 47 games.
The 6’0″ left-shot defenseman also represented Finland at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota, being held without a point in seven games as the Finns finished in fourth place.
The Predators originally selected Nieminen in the sixth round (No. 163 overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft. According to the club, Nieminen’s entry-level deal will take effect in the 2026-27 season.
Signed on the dotted line ✍️ We've signed defenseman Daniel Nieminen to a three-year, entry-level contract starting in the 2026-27 season. Full details » preds.club/4tbxOvo
Nieminen finished the 2025-26 campaign with the most assists and points by a U-21 defenseman in the Liiga (tied with Minnesota Wild prospect Aron Kiviharju in the latter category). He finished second among all Pelicans defensemen in points, behind only ex-Carolina Hurricanes rearguard Michal Jordan.
All 32 NHL clubs passed on Nieminen after his first year of draft eligibility, which he spent almost entirely with the Pelicans’ U20 junior affiliate. The following year, Nieminen put himself on the Predators’ radar with his first 39 games in the Liiga, plus 10 more in the spring to help the Pelicans stave off relegation; he also won a bronze medal at the 2025 World Juniors, recording two assists in seven games along the way.
The Predators had until 2029 to sign Nieminen to an entry-level deal, but they got way out ahead of that deadline on Tuesday. The Lahti product is now one of nine defensemen under contract with the Predators for the 2026-27 season, joining NHLers Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, Nic Hague, Nick Perbix, and Adam Wilsby, along with prospects Ryan Ufko, Tanner Molendyk, Andrew Gibson, and Viggo Gustafsson.
Nashville will play its final game of the 2025-26 season on Thursday, with the Anaheim Ducks set to visit the Bridgestone Arena at 7:00 p.m. Central.