Predators Prospect Tanner Molendyk Could Be Nearing Pro Debut

How much more can Tanner Molendyk prove at the junior hockey level?

It’s a question Nashville Predators brass are surely pondering after their 2023 first-round pick posted a career year with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades in 2023-24.

The 6-foot-1 defenseman finished with 56 points (10 goals, 46 assists) and a team-best rating of plus-40 despite being limited to 50 games due to injuries. Since Molendyk has completed four seasons in the WHL, he’s eligible to make the leap to the American Hockey League as soon as this October.

Whether that happens right away or not remains to be seen.

“We’ll see where I end up,” Molendyk told Nashville Hockey Now. “I’ll probably stay in Saskatoon, see what (the Predators) want to do and talk to them quite a bit. I’ll kind of just work around that.”

Molendyk seemingly left a favorable impression during the Predators’ development camp earlier this month.

He looked the part on the blueline and netted a goal on a penalty shot in last Saturday’s Future Stars Game, playing alongside recent acquisition Andrew Gibson to make up Team Gold’s top defensive pairing. Molendyk, who weighed 181 pounds at last year’s draft, has worked diligently to add about 10 pounds to his frame.

“Tanner looks like a man now. He’s really grown into his body,” said Predators pro development coach Mark Borowiecki. “He’s thicker and heavier, but his skating is still fantastic.”

Borowiecki made his professional debut with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators in 2010-11 before getting his first taste of the NHL with the Ottawa Senators one season later. He recalled opponents who could skate well as “the biggest thing I was worried about.”

Molendyk won’t have those concerns, Borowiecki said.

“There are some guys who are quick in small spaces and some guys who really have a separation gear and can really cover ice,” he said. “I think he’s got both, which is fantastic to see. And then on top of that, he can handle the puck at speed. It’s great to have a set of wheels, but can your brain and your hands keep up? You can see with him that it’s there.”

Molendyk has taken a step forward in each of his last three WHL seasons. He went from 18 points in 55 games during the 2021-22 season to 37 points in 67 games two seasons ago before his breakout in 2023-24.

“I think I used my confidence to my advantage,” he said. “The year before I kind of didn’t do that. I’d be up and down. I thought this year I was riding a high from the draft and all that stuff.”

Molendyk doesn’t turn 20 until next February, leaving plenty of time to develop. The left-hander wants to continue to build his confidence and grow his offensive game.

His performance at Nashville’s training camp in September may help determine exactly how close he is to making his professional debut, which will likely come at some point during the 2024-25 AHL season.

For now, Molendyk isn’t sweating his timeline.

“Whenever they think I’m ready, I’ll think I’m ready,” he said. “There’s always going to be polish (to add) to your game, but I think when the next step needs to be made, I can make that step.”

Follow Russell Vannozzi on X/Twitter @RussellV_MSP.

Keep up with Nashville Hockey Now on X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.