The hordes of local media that swallowed Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen on his previous visits to Music City weren’t in evidence during the team’s recently completed prospect development camp.

He was left to himself on most occasions in the locker room, the cameras and microphones finding their way more often to the likes of defenseman Dante Fabbro or 2019 first-round draft pick Philip Tomasino.

So soon forgotten?

There is an odd sense of history that accompanies the Predators’ first-round draft pick of 2017, a perception that we’ve seen Tolvanen come and go already despite the fact he just turned 20 in April.

The reason, of course, is that so much hype preceded Tolvanen’s 2018 NHL debut at age 18, the result of his precocious play in Russia’s KHL and the Winter Olympics. Preds fans hoped he might be the rare prospect who jumped straight into the NHL lineup, giving the team an offensive boost as it readied for the playoffs.

But more than a year later, Tolvanen is still looking to find his NHL niche. He played just three games that season for the Predators and four more in 2018-19.

His path to an NHL roster spot won’t be easy this training camp either, as the Preds — after signing Matt Duchene and Daniel Carr last week — have 15 forwards on one-way contracts. That total does not include Tolvanen, who could be assigned to the AHL without having to clear waivers.

So the questions now regarding Tolvanen: Putting aside the grandiose expectations of yesteryear, is the Finnish native still developing as expected on the way to a successful NHL career? Or is the fact that he’s yet to earn a permanent spot on Nashville’s roster a troublesome sign?

“Everybody’s dying to have goal-scorers, and he can score goals,” said Predators director of player development Scott Nichol, who’s also the Milwaukee Admirals’ general manager.

“He’s just maturing and he’s getting there … Maybe he got a little over-inflated in Russia, in the KHL. But he came here and what his best attribute is is that he’s coachable. He’s got a great attitude. He wants to learn. He wants to be here. He wants to play in the NHL. He’s on the perfect path.”

Peer comparison

One way to assess Tolvanen’s progress is in comparison to his peers chosen in the 2017 draft.

Here are some notable numbers:

Only 19 of the 31 players chosen in the 2017 first round, including Tolvanen, have even made their NHL debuts. The other dozen spent last season in a variety of places — some still in junior hockey, others in college, still others overseas or playing in the AHL.

But 13 of the 31 first-rounders in 2017 have more NHL experience than Tolvanen’s seven games. The group is led by four of the five top overall selections: New Jersey’s Nico Hischier (99 points in 151 games), Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick (61 points in 145 games), Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen (33 points in 82 games) and Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson (66 points in 71 games).

Even a player like St. Louis’ Robert Thomas, chosen No. 20 overall, made a big contribution to the Stanley Cup champion Blues last season. He totaled 33 points in 70 regular-season games, then chipped in six more points during St. Louis’ run to the title.

Since Tolvanen was taken so late in the first round (No. 30 overall), it’s fair to compare his evolution to peers chosen behind him as well — not just the first-round picks. Only eight players drafted after Tolvanen in 2017 have reached the NHL, and none have played as many as 25 games. In fact, Tolvanen’s seven games of NHL experience top four of those eight later draftees. So it’s not as if a wealth of prospects picked behind Tolvanen have surged past him to make huge NHL impacts.

TOLVANEN TO DATE YEAR TEAM LEAGUE G GOALS AST PTS PPG 2017-18 Jokerit Helsinki KHL 49 19 17 36 0.73 2017-18 Nashville Predators NHL 3 0 0 0 0.0 2018-19 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 58 15 20 35 0.6 2018-19 Nashville Predators NHL 4 1 1 2 0.5

Figuring it out

One of the more encouraging signs for Tolvanen is the way he played down the stretch last season in Milwaukee of the AHL.

Through the Admirals’ first 44 games, Tolvanen totaled a modest 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists). But Tolvanen helped guide Milwaukee on a surge toward the playoffs in March and April, averaging a point per game over the Admirals’ final 14 contests (five goals, nine assists).

He finished the year with 35 points — 15 goals and 20 assists — in 58 games.

“I felt like the last 15 games were really good for me and for our team,” Tolvanen said. “I had chances the whole year, but I just couldn’t get the bounces. It was just bad luck through the year. It was a tough season.

“The AHL isn’t an easy league. But I feel like the last 20 games went well, so it didn’t feel that bad at the end of the season.”

It’s worth remembering, too, that last season was Tolvanen’s first full pro season playing on the smaller North American rinks. That marked an adjustment from the bigger rinks in Europe and in the international game Tolvanen had been used to playing.

“He’s learned how to get his shot off,” Nichol said. “He doesn’t have the big ice where he can take his time, like a lot of his shots (had been getting) blocked or missed the net. So he’s learning how to release the puck that way. It’s just little details of his game that will transfer into the pro side on the NHL. He’s doing good.”

Added Preds prospect Tanner Jeannot, one of Tolvanen’s teammates last year: “There’s a little bit of a learning curve in your first year in the AHL. So during the first half of the season he was working hard and playing well, but he really started to figure it out in the second half.

“Everybody knows he’s got a rocket of a shot. I know when I was playing with him, I’m looking for him in the open areas because you know he can fire that puck. He’s really fun to watch, really exciting.”

A different world

More than two months before training camp, Tolvanen is focused on what should be a critical window of opportunity for him.

He said he wants to make a good impression from the first training camp practice, something Tolvanen didn’t feel was the case last year when he was still adjusting from the larger European rinks.

“I think the year in Milwaukee really helped me a lot,” Tolvanen said. “The North American style of hockey is way different than back in Europe. So for sure, I should be a better player in this year’s training camp.”

To further ensure that, Tolvanen will spend much of the rest of this offseason working out in Helsinki, Finland, not far from his hometown of Vihti. The 5-11, 190-pounder knows he needs to get bigger and stronger in order to battle veteran players on a yearlong basis.

There’s one new aspect of Tolvanen’s training this summer as well: a personal skating coach.

“It’s good to work on skating because it’s such a big part of the game these days,” Tolvanen said. “The skating coach should help me a lot. Every bit of help you can get, you should take. My skating has to be on the top level if you want to play in this game.”

Tolvanen said he doesn’t pay much attention to the team’s depth chart, which is flush with forwards. But he has to know how desperate this team was for goals last season, especially from its corps of forwards.

Is this the year Tolvanen makes his mark in that department, earning a much-anticipated second round of hockey notoriety?

“Everybody wants to play here (in Nashville),” Tolvanen said. “Hopefully last year was my last in Milwaukee.

“I have work to do this summer and I’m willing to do it. I just want to be here next year. I got a couple games here last year and it’s a different world.”

(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)