Marc Del Gaizo 'Excited' to Join Red-Hot Predators Amid 14-Game Point Streak

Del Gaizo's recall comes in the wake of injuries to Predators blueliners Dante Fabbro (2-3 weeks, upper-body) and Spencer Stastney (week-to-week, upper-body). It marks the second of Nashville's four non-emergency recalls allowed under the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement after the NHL trade deadline.

Del Gaizo made his NHL debut with Nashville on Nov. 4 at Edmonton and went on to skate in four more games for the Predators, recording a +2 rating and averaging 16:22 of ice time before being reassigned to Milwaukee on Nov. 16. The 24-year-old earned an assist in each of his first three games with the Predators, becoming the third player in franchise history to begin his NHL career with a three-game point streak.

In 51 games with Milwaukee this season, Del Gaizo has established AHL career highs in goals (8) and points (32) while adding 24 assists. He leads Admirals defensemen in all three categories.

"Getting all those minutes and gaining confidence down with the Admirals and being a core player there has been really fun," Del Gaizo said. "We've been having a good season there, so [I want to] build confidence off that."

For many Predators players, the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee. In addition to Stastney and Mark Jankowski, who were recalled earlier this season, several members of the Predators' roster — Luke Evangelista, Tommy Novak, Kiefer Sherwood, Michael McCarron and Cody Glass, to name a few — spent time playing with Del Gaizo and the Admirals in recent years.

"It's obviously really encouraging," Del Gaizo said. "You see how many players from Milwaukee make it here, and the coaching staff's developing guys and getting them ready to play here. So just super encouraging. I'm happy to be in the room with a lot of familiar faces from Milwaukee."

Originally drafted by the Predators in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Del Gaizo is in the final season of the three-year, entry-level contract he signed with the Predators in April 2021 and is playing with something to prove.

"Since being in training camp, I've kind of had that chip on my shoulder," Del Gaizo said after his NHL debut in November. "I definitely want to stick around for as long as I can and prove that I can play here."

Now, four months later, Del Gaizo is embracing his role as the "next man up" for the Predators. Whether he will be in the lineup for Nashville's March 19 home game against the San Jose Sharks has yet to be determined; but if he is called upon, he'll be ready.

"[I want] to show that I belong and that I add something to the team," Del Gaizo said. "This team's been doing really well, so I'll just do whatever they ask me to do."