{"id":178707,"date":"2025-08-27T03:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T03:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178707\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T03:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T03:29:09","slug":"from-working-at-a-golf-store-to-the-nhl-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178707\/","title":{"rendered":"From working at a golf store to the NHL \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev\u2019s Elite Prospects profile<\/a> shows a gap in playing experience from age 15 to 17 \u2014 some of the most crucial years in any player\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

His LinkedIn profile fills in the details: He wasn\u2019t battling a long-term injury. He was working at Golf Town.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy freshman year in high school, I might have been, like, 4-foot-10,\u201d Tanev said in a 2021 episode of Spittin\u2019 Chiclets<\/a>. \u201c(When) my backpack was filled with all my books, it was probably half the size of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He resumed playing in 2010 after a significant growth spurt, potting 42 points in 46 Junior-A games for the Ontario Junior Hockey League\u2019s Markham Waxers. That sample was good enough to earn him a spot the next season on the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League \u2014 an even better Junior-A league.<\/p>\n

Another productive season launched him to the NCAA, where he\u2019d eventually score the 2015 National Championship-winning goal for Providence College.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Making the NHL<\/p>\n

Graduation is the end of the road for many college hockey players, but not Tanev. Just weeks after his final college game, he was suiting up for his first NHL contest after the Winnipeg Jets signed him as a free agent.<\/p>\n

He spent the next season proving himself as a full-time NHL player \u2014 and he accomplished it rather quickly, playing just 23 AHL games before cementing his spot on the Jets\u2019 roster. <\/p>\n

Tanev has never been one to carry his team offensively at the pro level, but his defensive capabilities make him well worth his salary. He slotted into the Jets\u2019 penalty kill rotation right away, and he\u2019s continued to fill that role on every team he\u2019s been on since.<\/p>\n

The summer of 2019 afforded Tanev the opportunity to seek a bigger contract as a UFA. He did just that, inking a six-year, $21 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens were a couple years removed from their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships at that point, but having the right to call Sidney Crosby<\/a> a colleague is an accomplishment in and of itself.<\/p>\n

After two seasons in the Steel City, the Seattle Kraken burst onto the scene, claiming \u201cTurbo\u201d in the expansion draft.<\/p>\n

He quickly became a fan favorite in the NHL\u2019s then-newest city \u2014 something Bill Armstrong, GM of the league\u2019s current newest team, says will be the case in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we signed him, his agent said, \u2018You know, he\u2019s going to be a cult hero in Utah,\u2019\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cI said OK, and then I saw that picture and I thought, \u2018Oh, yeah. He\u2019s got a chance.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

After four seasons in Seattle, the Kraken traded him to the place where it all started: Winnipeg. He helped the Jets to the second round of the playoffs, after which he was due for a new contract.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when he signed with Utah.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I felt like it was a great fit,\u201d Tanev said. \u201cI worked with Bear last summer at the World Championships. I got to know him and understand him as a coach and person. He\u2019s a phenomenal coach and an even better person. I\u2019m excited to be a part of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentioned a number of specific things he was excited about:<\/p>\n