| Tanner Molendyk | |
| Birth Date: | 3 February 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 181 |
| Position: | Defence |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | NHL |
| Prospect League: | WHL |
| Prospect Team: | Saskatoon Blades |
| Draft: | 24th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2023 |
| Draft Team: | Nashville Predators |
Tanner Molendyk (born February 3, 2005) is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman for the Saskatoon Blades 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.
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]
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.[4] [5] 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.[6]
| 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 | ||
| WHL totals | 189 | 22 | 91 | 113 | 73 | 39 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 10 | ||||