Molendyk invited to second straight World Juniors selection camp
Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk is one of 32 players invited to Team Canada’s World Junior selection camp. It’s the second consecutive year the Nashville Predators prospect has received the invite.
Molendyk cracked Canada’s roster for last year’s annual tournament in Sweden, but sustained an upper-body injury in preliminary play that kept him out of competition. The 19-year-old blueliner finished the 2023-24 season in Saskatoon with ten goals, 46 assists, and 56 points in 50 games. Molendyk finished the regular season top ten in +/- amongst WHL defencemen at +40 and tacked on 18 penalty minutes. The McBride, BC product was a workhorse in the Blades’ run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final with three goals, seven assists, and ten points in 16 playoff games, all while tasked shutting down opposing club’s top stars.
The fourth-year Blade missed the team’s first six games of this season away at Predators training camp and preseason. After being the final cut from the NHL roster at 19 years old, Molendyk’s recorded three goals and 14 assists in 19 games with the Blue and Gold. The Blades’ fifth overall pick in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft has helped position the club at first place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-6-1-1 record.
It’s not the first time Molendyk has represented Canada on an international stage. The 5-foot-11 defender dawned his country’s colours at the 2021 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with Team Canada Black.
Fans get to see Molendyk in action Wednesday, Dec. 4 at SaskTel Centre when the Blades host the Red Deer Rebels at 7:00pm.
For the full list of players invited to Team Canada’s selection camp, CLICK HERE
