Mattias Ekholm played the first twelve years of his NHL career with the Predators, drafted in 2009 (102^nd Overall) and arriving in 2012.

Ekholm spent his first year in North America in the Minors, and he would become a jack-of-all-trades blueliner for Nashville.  Ekholm might not be a player who will dazzle your senses, but the Swedish native does use his size expertly to either attack or defend and is equally skilled on the power play and penalty kill.  While he has never been named an All-Star, Ekholm finished tenth in Norris Trophy voting in 2018-19, the same season he was second in Defensive Point Shares.  

His long run with the Predators ended when the struggling team traded him to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2023 trade deadline.  The Defenseman socred 268 Points over 719 Games for Nashville.