The Penguins made their second pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft and selected Tanner Howe of the WHL. As his hockeydb resume shows, he has been a productive player in the Regina Pats’ youth ranks, including a successful early career stint with former youth teammate Conor Bedard.
A CHL profile adds more light on the new Penguin prospect:
Tanner is a highly touted prospect heading into the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and his younger brother, Connor, recently signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Prince Albert Raiders.
According to NHL Central Scouting, the elder Howe is ranked 41st among all North American skaters heading into the draft, a far cry from how he broke into the Western Hockey League as an undersized fourth-round pick of the Regina Pats.
“I definitely had a grudge trying to make that team,” Howe recalled. “I think he was pretty small when I got drafted. That summer I took it very seriously and I gained a lot of weight, I got bigger and stronger.”
Pats head coach Brad Herauf, an assistant at the time, recalls Howe making a statement in his first shift in the WHL bubble with a flying body slam, prompting then-head coach John Paddock to turn to Herauf and declare, “That kid is going to be a player.”
“(Tanner) wasn’t expected to be there, that’s how smart he is,” Herauf said. “He’s looking at the lineup, he’s understanding the game. He’s understanding how to help teams win at such a young age, and that’s how he helped us win. He was 15 years old playing with that courage. That inspired the rest of our team when you see a 15-year-old fourth-round pick flying around and taking six or seven body shots a game and making plays. That’s what he’s done since day one.”
The 5-foot-11, 182-pound forward had great success playing on the line with superstar Connor Bedard for two seasons and learned a lot about preparation and professional habits from the NHL Rookie of the Year nominee.
But this season Howe had to show what kind of player he was without Bedard.
“There was a lot of talk about that before the year started, that I wasn’t going to be there,” Howe added. “I worked on my game to try to perfect it, play PK, power play, five-on-five and try to produce in all areas. “I think I had a pretty good year and I think I proved a lot of people wrong.”
Your coach will approve of that sentiment.
Howe earned the team captaincy as a 17-year-old and led the Pats with 28 goals (including two winners and one short tally) and 49 assists for 77 points in 68 games.
Even though Regina was in a building year in the junior hockey cycle, she also worked to keep her teammates engaged and didn’t give her opponents an inch on the ice while getting under their skin.
Howe models his game after CHL alumni like Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk, crafty scorers who will rile up opponents while sporting a devious smile.
In many ways, the above fits many of Kyle Dubas’ checklists. A smaller but productive player with a good hockey IQ and high motor skills. The Penguins need all the young wingers with upside they can leverage right now and Howe will be counted on to be part of a future wave of talent over the years as he grows and develops.
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