The Nashville Predators have made a decision on defenseman Tanner Molendyk, assigning him to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League Oct. 3 to begin the season.
Molendyk, 20, was among the favorites to land a starting spot on the Predators‘ defense heading into training camp. But an injury on the first day of rookie camp kept him off the ice for two weeks, forcing him to play catchup. While he looked fully recovered from the injury in two preseason games, he will now begin his professional career in the AHL and likely will be one of the first call-ups should Nashville need a defenseman.
Nashville’s roster is now at 25, which must be reduced to 23 by Oct. 6. That will likely include seven defensemen: Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, Nick Perbix, Adam Wilsby, Justin Barron, Spencer Stastney and Nick Blankenburg. Nic Hague, who was ruled out 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury on Sept. 24, will likely begin the year on injured reserve.
The Predators also moved forward Zach L’Heureux to Milwaukee, a surprising move given his role on the team last season. He played 62 games for Nashville, scoring five goals and 10 assists playing 12:03 per game.
L’Heureux also dealt with an injury in camp that kept him off the ice for some time. Starting him in Milwaukee could be more a reflection of his health than his production.
Tanner Molendyk to begin pro career in AHL with Milwuakee Admirals
Molendyk, the Predators’ 2023 first-round pick (No. 24 overall), put up several dazzling seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) over five seasons. He scored 31 goals and 129 assists in 238 games for the Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers.
A quick-footed, puck-moving defenseman, Molendyk has the wheels to escape the defensive zone with the puck and the skill to put it in the net at the other end. He’s versatile − he can play on the left or right side − and can play on special teams.
As a prospect, Molendyk tracks as a top four defenseman. When he’s finally ready for full-time NHL minutes, he will be a difference maker on the back end. Given the injury and his inexperience, starting him in Milwaukee makes sense for now.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.