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Predators sign adorable 3-year-old with cerebral palsy to contract

Stan Temming


With the NHL standings so tight heading into the final stretch of the regular season, every team is looking for any advantage they can find to give them an edge over their opposition. For the Nashville Predators, a key signing this week may be the spark needed to finish off the season strong and make a deep playoff run.

On Monday, the team held an official press conference to announce the signing of Asher Collier, a 3-year with cerebral palsy and short bowel syndrome, as reported by Robby Stanley of NHL.com.

Collier is the youngest player to join Nashville in team history.

The signing may result in some major changes to the team’s current lineup, joked Predators assistant general manager Brian Poile.

“One of the things we’re going to do, you guys don’t know, he’s going right on the first line,” he said to plenty of lighthearted laughs.

The team partnered with Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee and the Nashville Predators Foundation to make Collier’s dream come true.

“Yeah,” the enormous Predators fan innocently replied when Poile asked if he was ready to put pen to paper.

Along with the contract, Collier was given a Predators jersey and a bag full of hockey equipment. On top of that, he joined the squad for their team photo on Monday and fired the puck around with a few of his new teammates.

Although the youngster clearly has a knack for filling the net (scouting based on the limited video I’ve seen), the animosity between him and Filip Forsberg may be concerning to Predators fans. I guess we’ll just have to see how their relationship and on-ice chemistry develops in these final few weeks of the 2018-19 campaign.

To throw a bow on his time with the organization, Collier walked with Nashville’s starting goaltender Pekke Rinne from the locker room to the ice ahead of the Predators’ clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Nashville went on to win the game 3-0 at Bridgestone Arena to improve to 42-27-5 this season and 1-0-0 with Collier on the team.

With the way he’s been contributing in his limited time with the organization, don’t be surprised if Collier ends up signing an extension with the club in the near future.

Asher Collier (middle) poses alongside Gnash, the mascot of the Nashville Predators, and Brian Poile, the team’s assistant general manager, after signing with the organization. (Twitter//@PredsNHL)
Asher Collier (middle) poses alongside Gnash, the mascot of the Nashville Predators, and Brian Poile, the team’s assistant general manager, after signing with the organization. (Twitter//@PredsNHL)

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