Predators select Jack Ivankovic No. 58 overall in 2025 NHL Draft

One of the most coveted goaltending prospects in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft is headed to the Nashville Predators, who took goaltender Jack Ivankovic with the 58th pick in Los Angeles on Saturday.

At 5-foot-11, Ivankovic is not a typical goaltending prospect. For as often as modern goalies stay down in the butterfly, his diminutive frame is out of style in a league where there are a lot more Ben Bishops than Andy Moogs. 

Still, the scouts in Nashville saw enough from Ivankovic at the OHL and international levels to buy into his impressive athleticism, unflappable demeanor, and rapid glove hand. The emergence of Dustin Wolf, generously listed at six feet, with the Calgary Flames will have no doubt informed the Predators decision.

Ivankovic’s raw numbers from the ‘O’ might not jump off the page (3.05 GAA, .903 SV% in 2024-25), but the Brampton team in front of him was too content to trade chances throughout the season and often relied on bailouts from its talented netminder. 

In December, Ivankovic became the first 17-year-old to don the Maple Leaf in goal at the World Juniors since Jimmy Waite in 1987. Though the Canadians suffered a cataclysmic upset loss to Latvia, Ivankovic earned some new admirers as he stopped 24 of 26 shots and carried Canada’s toothless offense into Round 15 of the shootout.

The University of Michigan commit passes the eye test and has earned plaudits from OHL rivals including Team Canada peer and No. pick Matthew Schaefer. Earlier this season, Schaefer lauded Ivankovic as “one of the best goalies [he’s] ever played against.”

Ivankovic is one of several CHL stars who will ply their trade at Michigan next season, where collegiate weight training and competition against an older field should provide a clearer view of their path to the NHL.

If the 18-year-old can grow another inch or two in Ann Arbor, his post-to-post athleticism and calm disposition might make that path undeniable.