Tanner Laczynski (born June 1, 1997) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

for the

Henderson Silver Knights The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Henderson, Nevada. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Lee ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), while under contract to the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Laczynski has previously played in the NHL for the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL entry draft.

Early life

Laczynski was born June 1, 1997, in

Minooka, Illinois Minooka is a village (Illinois), village in Grundy County, Illinois, Grundy, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,758 at the 2020 census, up from 10,924 at the ...

, to Ken and Dawn Laczynski. Raised in

Shorewood, Illinois Shorewood is a village in Troy Township, Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,182 in the 2020 census, and is estimated to be 18,360 in 2024. Geography Shorewood is located at (41.5181961, -88.2150390). The village is a ...

, Laczynski began playing

at the age of three, and he spent time with the Joliet Jaguars, Chicago Fury, and Chicago Mission

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

programs.

Playing career

Amateur

During his first year of

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

in 2013–14, Laczynski was cut by the

Chicago Steel The Chicago Steel are an ice hockey team that plays in the United States Hockey League since 2000. The Steel have played their home games at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois since 2015; previously, the team played at Edge Ice Arena in ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). He returned to the team the next season for an impressive year, recording 18 goals and 28 assists with the Steel.

College

In his career with

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, Laczynski recorded 143 points (48 goals and 95 assists) in 138 games.

Professional

Laczynski made his NHL debut against the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

on April 3, 2021. After skating with the team for five games, Laczynski suffered a torn

acetabular labrum The acetabular labrum (glenoidal labrum of the hip joint or cotyloid ligament in older texts) is a fibrocartilaginous ring which surrounds the circumference of the acetabulum of the hip, deepening the acetabulum. The labrum is attached onto the bo ...

in his right hip. He received surgery for the injury on April 26, with an expected recovery time of 16 weeks. After only two days of attending the Flyers' 2021 training camp, head coach

Alain Vigneault Alain Vigneault (born May 14, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach. Vigneault has previously coached the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers for 19 seasons in the NHL, as well as ...

announced that Laczynski required another surgery on the opposite hip, and that he would likely miss the entirety of the

2021–22 NHL season The 2021–22 NHL season was the 105th season of operation (104th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Seattle Kraken. The league had an October-to-April regular season sch ...

. He ultimately appeared in 28 games for the Phantoms during the 2021–22 season, recording seven goals and 17 points in the process. He also appeared in one game with the Flyers. On July 26, 2022, the Flyers signed Laczynski to a two-year, $1.525 million contract extension. As a free agent following the

2023–24 NHL season The 2023–24 NHL season was the 107th season of operation (106th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began on October 10, 2023, and ended on April 18, 2024. The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 20. T ...

, Laczynski signed a two-year, two-way contract with the

on July 1, 2024. Laczynski subsequently debuted for Vegas on December 19, playing seven and a half minutes in a 3–1 victory over the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

Personal life

Laczynski and his wife Madison have one child together, born in 2022.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laczynski, Tanner 1997 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey centers Chicago Steel players Henderson Silver Knights players Ice hockey players from Illinois Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Lincoln Stars players Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey players People from Shorewood, Illinois Philadelphia Flyers draft picks Philadelphia Flyers players Sportspeople from Will County, Illinois Vegas Golden Knights players 21st-century American sportsmen