Injuries might be a way of life for Tanner Howe

With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 56 individuals signed to an NHL contract – including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons - with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 24, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

Tanner Howe

Position: Left winger

Shoots: Left

Age: 19

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 182 pounds

2024-25 WHL regular season statistics: 47 games, 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists)

2024-25 WHL postseason statistics: Six games, nine points (two goals, seven assists)

Contract: Signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $875,000. That contract has yet to begin and can “slide” — i.e. start — by the time Brunicke begins his professional career at the NHL level.

(As a player still eligible to play at the junior level, Howe can play up to nine NHL games before the first year of his contract is formally activated.)

Acquired: Second-round draft pick (No. 46 overall), June 29, 2024

This season: A theme for Tanner Howe’s 2024-25 campaign was seemingly established in September before the season even began.

Skating for the Penguins in a prospect showcase event staged in Buffalo, Howe suffered a facial injury and had to wear a full shield throughout training camp.

After skating in one preseason game for the Penguins, Howe was sent back to the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League on Sept. 25.

Serving as captain of the Pats, Howe played in two games upon his return to that squad before suffering a wrist injury that sidelined him for nearly all of October.

Back in the lineup by Oct. 30, Howe wound up playing in 10 games and posted seven points (six goals, one assist) for the Pats before being traded to the Calgary Hitmen on Nov. 21.

Howe fit in immediately with the Hitmen, recording eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first four games with that club.

Selected to Canada’s roster for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship tournament, Howe scored a goal in five games as Canada finished in fifth place.

Following that tournament, Howe helped the Hitmen finish in second place of the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. In total, Howe appeared in 37 regular season games for the Hitmen and scored 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists).

Howe was highly productive in the first round of the postseason, putting up nine points (two goals, seven assists) in a four-game sweep of the Saskatoon Blades.

In the second round against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Howe suffered what proved to be a season-ending knee injury during the second game of the series on April 12.

By April 23, he underwent ACL reconstruction surgery on his right knee. The Penguins announced a recovery period of nine months for Howe.

The future: While he is on the small side, Howe is a rough-and-tumble type of forward who doesn’t avoid contact and is isn’t afraid of conflict. Add in a fair amount of offensive acumen and it’s easy to see why he tries to emulate Florida Panthers All-Star forward Brad Marchand.

That style has benefited him, considering he was a fairly high draft pick. But at the same time, it led to him missing quite a few games in 2024-25 as well as his current convalescence.

Considering his ongoing recovery is scheduled to keep him sidelined until late November, it’s safe to assume he will return to Calgary for his final season at the junior level and his contract won’t begin until the 2026-27 season.

Injuries pockmarked an otherwise strong season for Howe. But that might just be a way of life for how he plays.