Just another black-and-blue day at the office for Jets forward Tanev

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This article was published 10/12/2018 (2462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The beauty of Brandon Tanev’s game is in the details. He does a little of everything.

On Sunday afternoon, the six-foot, 180-pound Winnipeg right-winger registered two shots, three hits, blocked three shots and scored a crucial second-period goal to help the Jets to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.

One of the blocks, coming on sizzling shot point from Flyers defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere on a Philly power play, was a typical act of self-sacrifice. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“He’s crazy,” said teammate Patrik Laine following practice at Bell MTS Place Monday. “But it tells me a lot about him as a person. He’s willing to put his body down for the team, he’s willing to take those shots and it doesn’t matter if it hurts. He’ll do it if it doesn’t give them a scoring chance; he’s going to take one for the team, and that’s what we want in this locker room from a teammate.”

Tanev’s well-rounded game has developed a growing fan base ever since the Jets plucked him from relative obscurity to sign him as an undrafted college free agent in the spring of 2016. At the time, it wasn’t clear he could morph into an effective NHLer.

Sunday’s goal, his fifth of the season, raised his season point total to 11 in 29 games, playing most on the club’s third line with centre Adam Lowry and Matthieu Perreault or Andrew Copp on the other wing.

“This is probably something people know, but I think what makes him so good is how fast he is,” said Jets blue-liner Tyler Myers. “You can see how frustrating he is to play against when you look at the defencemen he’s going up against. He’s on the puck so fast, they don’t have the time to make the play they want to make.

“I think he’s built his game over the last few years really nicely. He keeps developing and he’s a tremendous piece to our group.”

Earlier in his career, Tanev built his game on quick feet. Born Dec. 31, 1991, he was always the youngest and smallest player in his age group while growing up in suburban Toronto.

By Grade 9, the 4-11, 85-pounder could see that his playing options were starting to evaporate. After several years as a triple-A player in minor hockey, he decided to take a different path. Hockey became a more casual pursuit.

“I was too small and I kinda took a step back,” said Tanev. “I enjoyed playing shinny with my friends on outdoor rinks and high school hockey with them. And when the opportunity came for me to go out and try out for a junior team.”

For 3 1/2 years, Tanev played “low-level” high school hockey for East York Collegiate before a growth spurt late in his teens got him a shot playing Junior A for the Markham Waxers at 19.

He then spent his overage season with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, posting 33 points in 58 games, before heading to Providence College on a NCAA scholarship.

“Obviously, at that time when you’re not playing it kinda sucked,” said Tanev. “You enjoy the game you grew up playing and that your friends played. Looking back on it now, it was obviously the right move to take a step back and enjoy that time with your friends in high school. And fortunately, I was able to move on from that and continue playing.”

Now 26, Tanev’s arrival in the pro ranks has synced well with the evolving style of play in the NHL and his speed, fearlessness, physical play and skill as a penalty-killer have served him well.

“The game started changing,” said Myers. “You could tell teams were moving to a fast-paced game. I think he fits that to a T. He’s probably our fastest skater. He uses it so well in the game. He definitely knows it’s his strength and he uses it to his advantage. Why it took a little bit longer for that to get noticed, it’s tough to say…

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“We love being on the ice with him because he does all the little things. As simple as when he gets the puck on the half-wall, he chips the puck out or makes a play to (Lowry) coming through the middle. And then he does little things like he goes to the net hard and frustrates the hell out of the defenceman he’s going against.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14