Tanner Molendyk
| Tanner Molendyk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 3, 2005 McBride, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Nashville Predators Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
24th overall, 2023 Nashville Predators | ||
Tanner Molendyk (born February 3, 2005) is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, by the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators in the 2023 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
During the 2022–23 season, Molendyk recorded nine goals and 28 assists in 67 games for the Saskatoon Blades.[1] During the playoffs, he recorded three goals and five assists in 18 games, and helped the Blades advance to the Eastern Conference finals. He shared the lead for goals and finished second in points and assists among WHL defencemen in the playoffs.[2]
On July 6, 2023, Molendyk was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators.[3]
On January 6, 2025, Molendyk, along with Misha Volotovskii, was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for two players and five draft picks.[4] He immediately assumed a major role in Medicine Hat's defence corps in the regular season,[5] and continuing into their deep run in the playoffs.[6] The team ultimately reached the WHL Finals, where they defeated the Spokane Chiefs to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions.[7] While playing with the Tigers, Molendyk had 5 goals and 21 assists in 28 regular season games and 4 goals and 16 assists in 18 postseason games.[8]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
| 2022 Canada | ||
Molendyk first represented Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he recorded one goal and three assists in five games and won a gold medal.[9][10] In 2023, he was named to Team Canada's roster for the 2024 World Junior Championship; however, he sustained a wrist injury in a pre-tournament game that ultimately held him out of the tournament.[11] He was later able to join Team Canada for the 2025 edition, and was named an alternate captain.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 55 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 67 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 37 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 50 | 10 | 46 | 56 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2024–25 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 21 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 28 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 4 | ||
| WHL totals | 238 | 31 | 129 | 160 | 91 | 57 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 14 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada | HG18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | Canada | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2025 | [13] |
| WHL | ||
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion | 2025 | [7] |
References
- ^ Skrbina, Paul (June 28, 2023). "Nashville Predators pick Tanner Molendyk in 2023 NHL Draft, 24th overall". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Predators Select Wood, Molendyk in First Round of 2023 NHL Draft". NHL.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Predators sign Tanner Molendyk to three-year, entry-level contract". Nashville Predators. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Blades acquire pair of stellar prospects and picks in blockbuster". Saskatoon Blades. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ Tubb, James (March 22, 2025). "Molendyk leaving immeasurable impact with more to come as playoffs near". Medicine Hat News. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Tubb, James (May 1, 2025). "Molendyk stepping up as Tigers on verge of WHL Finals". Medicine Hat News. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Kepke, Cami (May 17, 2025). "GAME STORY: Medicine Hat Tigers clinch 2025 WHL Championship presented by Nutrien". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Kaisar, Victor (May 17, 2025). "McBride's Tanner Molendyk wins WHL title with Medicine Hat Tigers". CKPGToday.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ "Molendyk Named to Team Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Roster". saskatoonblades.com. July 25, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Basena, Julian (June 28, 2023). "Three things to know about Nashville Predators first-round pick Tanner Molendyk". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Roblin, Scott (2024-01-16). "Saskatoon Blades defender Molendyk putting World Juniors injury behind him". Global News. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Brayden Yager, Tanner Molendyk & Calum Ritchie form Canada's leadership group at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship". Canadian Hockey League. December 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Séguin, Christopher (2025-06-02). "London Knights edge Medicine Hat Tigers to secure a historic third Memorial Cup title". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database