Brandon Tanev

Brandon Tanev (born December 31, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He previously played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Born in Toronto, Tanev followed his older brother Christopher Tanev into ice hockey, but both brothers were cut from their respective minor ice hockey teams for being too small at the age of 15.

Tanev took some time off from the sport until he underwent a growth spurt at the end of high school.

From there, he played two seasons of junior ice hockey with the Markham Waxers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League, respectively.

After going undrafted by the NHL, Tanev spent the next four years playing college ice hockey for the Providence Friars of the Hockey East conference.

Tanev was born on December 31, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the middle child of Mike and Sophie Tanev.

All three sons began playing ice hockey at a young age, with Tanev spending his minor ice hockey career with the Toronto Young Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Both Tanev and his older brother Christopher were cut from their respective minor hockey teams when they were 15 years old for being undersized, and Tanev did not play competitive hockey in high school at all.

In lieu of playing ice hockey, Tanev filled his adolescence with cross country running, track and field, and soccer, and he practiced his skating independently with a private skills coach.

After experiencing a growth spurt during his final year at East York Collegiate Institute, Tanev was able to secure a roster spot with the Markham Waxers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).

Upon returning to the sport, Tanev scored 16 goals and 42 points in 46 regular-season games for Markham.

He added another four points in six postseason games and was named Markham's rookie of the year.

After spending the offseason playing in the Vancouver Canucks' prospect camp, Tanev joined the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League.

There, he scored 11 goals in 58 regular season games, and an additional three goals in 10 playoff games.

He finished the regular season with six goals and 15 points, while Providence gained its first berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament since 2001.

They defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA tournament, with Tanev picking up an assist in the process, before losing to the Union Dutchmen in the East Region finals.

That January, Tanev provided a goal and an assist in the Friars' 6–5 road victory over New Hampshire, Providence's first win at the Whittemore Center since 2004.

Tanev finished his freshman season at Providence with four goals, seven assists, and a +6 plus–minus in 33 games.

He played in his 100th collegiate hockey game on February 14, a 3–2 win over Notre Dame, becoming the 148th Friar in program history to reach the milestone and the fifth of the season.

Playing in 39 games that season, Tanev had a career-high 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points.

Overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft, Tanev committed to play college ice hockey for the Providence Friars of the Hockey East conference beginning in the 2012–13 season.

Tanev made his collegiate debut on October 13, 2012, skating on the left wing of a line that also featured Noel Acciari and Chris Rooney for the Friars' 4–2 loss to Boston University.

His first collegiate goal and assist both came in a 3–2 win over Vermont on November 2.

His second goal of the year came on November 24, capping off the Friars' 7–0 rout of Brown University in the annual Mayor's Cup rivalry game.

After spending the summer at the Washington Capitals development camp, Tanev returned to the Friars for the 2013–14 Hockey East season.

His first goal of the sophomore season came in the Friars' third-game, a 10–4 rout of American International College on October 19, 2013.

Tanev scored again in Providence's conference opener, which they dropped 4–3 to Boston University on November 1, but did not record an assist until November 22, when he set up Mark Jankowski's shot in a 3–2 overtime loss to New Hampshire.

He had a career-high three-point game on February 21 in a 4–3 victory over Massachusetts Amherst.

Tanev's first goal of the 2014–15 NCAA season came on November 25, when Providence shut out the Army Black Knights 3–0.

He was instrumental in the Friars' championship title at the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, delivering the game-winning goal against Boston University to give Providence their first national championship in franchise history.

Upon graduating from Providence, Tanev signed a contract with the Jets.

He spent most of the NHL season alternating between the NHL and the American Hockey League, but spent the following two seasons on a checking line with Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp.

A free agent for the season, Tanev signed a contract with the Penguins, where his line with Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese was tasked with tiring out other teams' leading scorers.

Tanev missed most of the season due to injury, rejoining the team for their short stint in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Seattle Kraken selected Tanev in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, and he played with the team for the first half of their inaugural season before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Although New Hampshire eliminated Providence in the Hockey East tournament quarterfinals, the Friars still earned a berth in the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, facing Miami in the East Region semifinals.

They went back-and-forth with Miami, ultimately taking the game 7–5, with Tanev scoring an empty net goal with 6.3 seconds left in the game.

He did the same in the East Region finals, providing one of two empty net goals to defeat the Denver Pioneers 4–1 and advance to the Frozen Four.

Providence went on to defeat Nebraska-Omaha 4–1 in the Frozen Four match, and Tanev went on to score the game-winning goal against Boston University to win 4–3 and give Providence their first national ice hockey championship in history.