Predators shop in juniors

Whenever draft time rolls around, the Nashville Predators traditionally look to the West, as in the Western Hockey League.

Both Predators head coach Barry Trotz and associate head coach Brent Peterson are natives of Western Canada. So when they took the trip to Kelowna, British Columbia earlier this month, the Nashville coaches not only took some time to renew old friendships, but also got a long look at defensemen prospects Shea Weber and Kevin Klein as they battled for junior hockey supremacy in the Memorial Cup.

Both Weber and Klein were second-round picks last season by the Predators. Klein was picked first, but Weber has emerged as the stronger of the two. Weber was one of the keys to Kelowna