Tanner Howe’s rise has been interrupted at nearly every turn, but the Penguins still saw enough in his first pro season to believe there’s something real here.
That’s why Howe lands at No. 19 in PensBurgh’s Top-25 Under 25 countdown, even after a year shaped by rehab, a late start, and only a partial look at what he can do at the AHL level. He is now getting ready for his first full professional season since undergoing ACL surgery last April.
Howe entered the spotlight as a projected first-round pick while skating next to Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard in 2022-23 with the WHL’s Regina Pats. Then Bedard moved on, Howe’s production dipped the following season, and the Penguins were able to grab him in the second round.
Injuries have followed him since. He dealt with a shoulder injury early in the 2024-25 WHL season, then suffered the ACL injury while playing for the Calgary Hitmen in last season’s WHL playoffs. Surgery came in April 2025.
That left him on the sideline for most of his first pro season before he finally made his Wilkes/Barre Scranton debut in February.
”I think it was a mental test,” Howe said in February about his nine-month recovery process (h/t InsideAHLHockey’s Tony Androck). “I think going into the offseason, I wanted to focus on getting bigger and stronger, obviously rehab made a little delay on it.”
Once he got into the lineup, Howe didn’t look like a player trying to catch up. He scored in his fourth AHL game and finished with 16 points - eight goals and eight assists - in 27 regular-season games.
He also made his presence felt in the playoffs, posting five points - three goals and two assists - in 14 games while helping the WBS Penguins reach the Eastern Conference Final.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant general manager Amanda Kessel said Howe handled the transition like a “versatile” player, even with the delayed start to his pro career.
“To see him come into this year, a first-year young pro coming off an ACL surgery, he didn’t really struggle,” Kessel said, per Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. “I think it’s credit to him, he works extremely hard. Everyone loves the kid.
Kessel continued, per Crechiolo: “I think he’s versatile, he could play on the first line or the fourth line and be effective. He can play penalty kill, power play.
He’s somebody who can play in multiple different roles and excel at them. He’s a warrior, and somebody that is a winner, and you want on your team.”
Around the time the Penguins drafted him two years ago, Howe was drawing comparisons to Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand. Bedard put the edge of that identity plainly in 2024 when he told The Athletic’s Sarah Jean Maher: “On the ice, he’s a bit of a prick.”
That same pest-like approach started showing up again during Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s playoff run, especially around the netfront. With more time to get his surgically repaired knee back to full strength, Howe could lean even harder into that role next season.
The Penguins now get the benefit of a full offseason for him to add weight, build strength and keep adjusting to the pro game, which should give them a better read on how close he is to reaching the NHL.
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