Medicine Hat acquires star D Molendyk from Saskatoon
Published
The Medicine Hat Tigers acquired Team Canada standout defenceman Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii from the Saskatoon Blades on Monday.
Molendyk, 19, was drafted 24th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2023 and has four goals and 21 points in 21 games this season.
The 6-foot left-shot defenceman played his entire five-season Western Hockey League career in Saskatoon, recording 26 goals and 134 points in 210 games.
Molendyk finished 11th in scoring among defencemen last season, recording 10 goals and 56 points in 50 games and helped the Blades to the league's best record at 50-13-5.
The McBride, B.C., native helped Canada win gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was part of the leadership team for Canada at the World Juniors in Ottawa.
Volotovskii, 19, also played his entire four-season career in Saskatoon and has four goals and 11 points in 37 games this season.
The 6-foot-2 winger was drafted 77th overall by the Blades in the 2020 WHL Priority draft and has 19 goals and 35 points in 195 career WHL games.
Molendyk and Volotovskii will join a Medicine Hat team that sits in first place in the league's Eastern Conference with a 22-15-2 record. They will add to a team that already features phenom Gavin McKenna, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom, Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha, and Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie.
Saskatoon will receive forward Hayden Harsanyi, defenceman Jack Kachkowski, and five draft picks in exchange for the two players.
Harsanyi, 17, has been limited in action this season, only appearing in seven games and is considered to be month-to-month with a lower-body injury.
The 5-foot-10 centre was drafted 16th overall by the Tigers in the 2022 WHL Priority Draft and recorded 12 goals and 28 points in 68 games in his rookie season last year.
Harsanyi has a goal and four points in seven games this year.
Kachkowski, 17, has eight assists in 37 games this season with a plus-four rating.
The 6-foot right-shot defenceman had a goal and five points in 27 games last season, his first in the WHL.