Brandon Tanev Bio
Brandon Tanev (born December 31, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays as a left winger for the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Seattle Kraken. Born in Toronto, Tanev followed his older brother Christopher Tanev into ice hockey but stepped away from the sport until a late growth spurt reignited his career. He went undrafted before starring at Providence College and lifting a national championship in 2015.
Early Life and Background
Brandon Tanev was born on December 31, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the middle child of Mike and Sophie Tanev. All three Tanev sons began playing ice hockey at a young age, and Brandon spent his minor hockey career with the Toronto Young Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. At fifteen, he and older brother Christopher were cut from their respective minor hockey teams for being undersized, and Brandon did not play competitive hockey at all during high school.
Instead of competitive hockey, Tanev filled his adolescence with cross country running, track and field, and soccer, while also practicing his skating with a private skills coach. After a significant growth spurt during his final year at East York Collegiate Institute, he earned a roster spot with the Markham Waxers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Tanev finished his time with Markham with sixteen goals and forty-two points in forty-six regular season games and was named the team’s rookie of the year.
Path to Hockey
After spending an offseason with the Vancouver Canucks’ prospect camp, Tanev joined the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League. He recorded eleven goals in fifty-eight regular season games for Surrey, adding another three goals in ten playoff contests. Despite his late development, Tanev committed to play college ice hockey for the Providence Friars of the Hockey East conference beginning in the 2012–13 season.
Over four seasons at Providence, Tanev worked his way up from a freshman role to a senior leader. He scored the game-winning goal in the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament championship game, a 4–3 win over Boston University that gave Providence its first national title in program history. Tanev closed his senior year with fifteen goals and twenty-eight points in thirty-eight games and finished his collegiate career with thirty-five goals and forty-two assists in one hundred forty-nine games.
Brandon Tanev Career
Early Career (2015–2017)
After graduating from Providence, Tanev signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $925,000 with the Winnipeg Jets. He made his NHL debut on April 5, 2016, skating on a line with Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn against the Anaheim Ducks. He re-signed with the Jets for $875,000 and cracked the opening night roster for the 2016–17 NHL season, scoring his first two NHL goals on November 4, 2016, in a 5–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Tanev spent much of his rookie campaign alternating between the Jets and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, finishing with two goals and four points in fifty-one NHL games. He also posted two goals and nine points in twenty-three AHL games while filling in for injured teammates throughout the year.
Winnipeg Jets Breakthrough (2017–2019)
Tanev re-signed with Winnipeg for $700,000 in 2017 and settled into a checking line role alongside Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp while also playing on the penalty kill. On March 27, 2018, he recorded his first NHL hat-trick, scoring three goals in a 5–4 overtime win against the Boston Bruins. He finished the regular season with eighteen points in sixty-one games and scored his first postseason NHL goal in a 5–0 series-clinching win over the Minnesota Wild. Tanev posted four goals and six points in seventeen playoff games before the Jets were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals.
Tanev settled with the Jets on a one-year, $1.15 million contract through arbitration in July 2018. During the 2018–19 NHL season, he built a reputation as a hard-nosed forward who could both score and block shots, finishing with career highs of fourteen goals, fifteen assists, and twenty-nine points to go with two hundred seventy-eight hits and eighty-one blocked shots in eighty games. Despite a broken finger suffered late in the regular season, he helped the Jets reach the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they were eliminated in six games by the St. Louis Blues.
Pittsburgh Penguins Era (2019–2021)
Tanev signed a six-year, $21 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent on July 1, 2019. He opened his Penguins career with a shorthanded overtime goal against the Colorado Avalanche on October 16, 2019, joining Mario Lemieux as the only two Penguins to score such a goal in franchise history. Skating alongside Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese, Tanev’s shutdown line helped preserve scoring opportunities for Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, finishing the shortened 2019–20 NHL season with eleven goals and twenty-five points in sixty-eight games.
Injuries defined Tanev’s final Penguins season. After being ejected for a hit on the Boston Bruins’ Jarred Tinordi, he suffered a pair of upper-body injuries and missed most of the 2020–21 NHL season. He returned just in time for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring a game-winning goal in Game 3 against the New York Islanders, but Pittsburgh was eliminated in six games.
Seattle Kraken Era (2021–2025)
Tanev was the Seattle Kraken’s selection from the Penguins during the 2021 NHL expansion draft on July 21, 2021, becoming an inaugural member of the franchise. He scored two goals in Seattle’s first franchise win, a 4–3 victory over the Nashville Predators on October 14, 2021, and added two more goals in the team’s first home win at Climate Pledge Arena. A torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in December 2021 cut his inaugural season short after nine goals in thirty games.
Tanev returned to the ice for the 2022–23 NHL season and continued to play for Seattle until March 7, 2025, when he was traded back to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL entry draft. He opted to wear jersey number 73 with the Jets because his original number 13 was being worn by Gabriel Vilardi.
Utah Mammoth Era (2025–Present)
Tanev left the Jets as a free agent for a second time, signing a three-year, $7.5 million contract with divisional rivals the Utah Mammoth on July 1, 2025. The deal positioned him as a veteran depth forward and energy presence for a young Mammoth roster making its way through a new chapter of franchise history.
Driving Style and Strengths
Tanev has built his reputation on speed, work rate, and a willingness to block shots and deliver hits rather than pure offensive production. His penalty-killing instincts and reliable defensive play have made him a coach’s favorite in shutdown roles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Tanev scored the game-winning goal in Providence’s first NCAA championship in 2015 and later matched that clutch touch with a shorthanded overtime goal in his Penguins debut. He also scored the Seattle Kraken’s first franchise win goal on October 14, 2021, and recorded his first NHL hat-trick on March 27, 2018.
Brandon Tanev Career Wins
Brandon Tanev’s career win highlights span the college, professional, and international levels. His most celebrated victory came with the Providence Friars’ 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament championship, and his first NHL win came on debut with the Winnipeg Jets in 2016.
NHL Highlights
Tanev played a part in the Winnipeg Jets’ 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs run to the Western Conference finals and later helped the Pittsburgh Penguins reach the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. With Seattle, he scored two goals in the Kraken’s first franchise win and two more in their first home victory, marking memorable early chapters of the expansion team. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, posting four goals and five points in ten games as Canada finished in fourth place.
Other Wins & Performances
At Providence, Tanev scored the game-winning goal in the 2015 Frozen Four championship against Boston University and helped the Friars capture their first Hockey East regular-season championship in 2015–16. Earlier, he earned rookie-of-the-year honors with the Markham Waxers after a strong first junior season.
Brandon Tanev Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Tanev is the younger brother of Christopher Tanev, a fellow professional ice hockey defenseman who has played in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The youngest Tanev brother, Kyle, has also played hockey, most recently with the Caledonia Corvairs of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Trenton Golden Hawks of the OJHL. The Tanev family is of Macedonian descent, with his grandparents having been born there.
Personal Life
Tanev has been active in promoting mental health awareness across the NHL. He joined the Jets’ #HockeyTalks campaigns in 2018 and 2019, and in 2022 he partnered with Premera Blue Cross as part of Seattle’s #HockeyTalks initiative. His stunned team-headshot expression during his time with the Penguins also became a popular Internet meme in 2020.
2025 Season Performance
Tanev opened 2025 with the Winnipeg Jets after being traded back from the Seattle Kraken on March 7, 2025. He provided veteran depth and penalty-killing help during the second half of the 2024–25 NHL season while wearing jersey number 73. His energy and forechecking helped stabilize the Jets’ bottom six as they pushed for a playoff spot.
On July 1, 2025, Tanev signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with the Utah Mammoth, a divisional rival still building an identity in its early years. He is expected to play a leadership and special teams role for the Mammoth throughout the 2025–26 NHL season. His combination of speed, shot-blocking, and playoff experience figures to remain valuable as Utah works to climb the standings.