Tanner Glass

Tanner Glass (born November 29, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Known as a physical player, he has previously played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks and the Florida Panthers.

For the next two seasons, Tanner split time between the NHL and AHL before signing with the Canucks in July of 2009 as an unrestricted free agent.

He solidified his role as a fourth-line forward on the team and helped them to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the Boston Bruins.

In July 2011, Tanner left the Canucks for the Winnipeg Jets via free agency. The following year, he signed with the Penguins as a free agent. He is one of the best hitters in the NHL.

Amateur Playing Career
Tanner played midget with the Yorkton Mallers of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League (SMHL).

In 2001–02, he began a two-year career of Junior A in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Playing his rookie season with the Penticton Panthers, he recorded 11 goals and 39 points over 57 games.

The following season, Tanner was traded to the Nanaimo Clippers after 32 games with Penticton.

He finished his second junior season with 23 goals and 62 points over 50 games, split between Penticton and Nanaimo.

In addition to appearing in the 2003 BCHL All-Star Game, Tanner received end-of-season BCHL All-Star Team honours.

In the off-season, he was selected 265th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers.

Following his draft, Tanner joined the college hockey ranks with the Dartmouth Big Green of the ECAC Hockey Conference. He missed 8 games in his freshman year due to mononucleosis, finishing with 11 points over 26 games.

Tanner helped the Big Green to the third-place game of the ECAC playoffs, where they lost to the Colgate Raiders. The following season, he improved to 15 points in 33 games.

Prior to his junior year, Tanner was named an alternate captain for the Big Green, going on to score a college career-high 12 goals and 28 points over 33 games. He made his second appearance in the ECAC's third-place game, winning 3–2 against Colgate.

Captaining the team as a senior in 2006–07, Tanner matched his career-high 28 points and helped Dartmouth to the third-place game once more. He finished his college career losing to the St. Lawrence Saints.

Professional Playing Career
Still unsigned by the Panthers at the end of his college career, Tanner received an amateur tryout contract from Florida's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans on March 21, 2007.

He notched his first professional point, an assist, against the Syracuse Crunch four days later.

Playing the final four games of the 2006–07 AHL season, Tanner finished with one assist in his initial stint with the Americans.

After signing his first NHL contract with the Panthers in August 2007, Tanner split the 2007–08 season between Rochester and Florida.

He began the campaign in the AHL, scoring his first professional goal against goaltender Jaroslav Halak in a game against the Hamilton Bulldogs on October 12, 2007.

The following month, Tanner received his first NHL call-up and earned just over a minute of ice time in his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes, a 4–3 loss on November 12, 2007.

After being sent back down within eight days, he earned two more call-ups over the course of the season.

On January 22, 2008, Tanner scored his first NHL goal against Ray Emery in a 5–3 win against the Ottawa Senators.

Playing 41 games in his rookie NHL season, he notched a goal and an assist, while also recording 11 points in 43 AHL games.

Beginning the 2008–09 season in the AHL for the second consecutive year, Tanner was appointed as an alternate captain for the Americans.

After appearing in 44 AHL games (4 goals and 13 points) and 3 NHL games (no points), Tanner sustained a season-ending injury on February 7, 2009.

Not receiving a qualifying offer from the Panthers, he became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season.

On the first day of free agency, he was signed by the Vancouver Canucks to a one-year, two-way deal worth the league-minimum $500,000 at the NHL level.

With early injuries to Canucks forwards during training camp, Tanner made the lineup for the start of the season as the thirteenth forward.

On November 1, 2009, Tanner scored his first goal with the Canucks in a 3–0 win against the Colorado Avalanche. He recorded 11 points over 67 games in 2009–10.

In the off-season, Tanner filed for arbitration, looking for a one-way contract to ensure an NHL salary. On July 12, 2012, he was re-signed to a one-year contract worth $625,000.

Until suffering an upper-body injury during practice in early-March of 2011, Tanner was the lone staple on the Canucks' fourth line, playing with a rotation of wingers and centers. He missed nine games with the injury, returning in early-April.

He finished the regular season with 3 goals and 10 points over 73 games, helping the Canucks win the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the league's best record.

With the top seed in the Western Conference, the Canucks eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks, Nasvhille Predators and San Jose Sharks en route to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals where they lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins. Over 20 post-season games, Tanner recorded no points and 18 penalty minutes.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Tanner expressed a desire to return to the Canucks, but he was not re-signed.

On July 1, 2011, Tanner agreed to a one-year contract worth $750,000 with the Winnipeg Jets. Playing on the Jets' third line with Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn, he set career-highs in goals, assists and points in his first season with Winnipeg.

On July 1, 2012, Tanner signed a 2-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, worth $1,100,000 per year.

Awards & Achievements

 * BCHL All-Star Game (2003)
 * BCHL All-Star Team (2003)

Playing Style
Tanner has established himself as primarily a third or fourth-line forward in the NHL.

His speed and work ethic make him effective on the forecheck and responsible defensively. A physical and aggressive player, he is also known to be a fighter.

Tanner has also been identified as a leader on his teams, serving as an alternate captain for Rochester in the AHL as well as a captain with Dartmouth during his college career.

Personal Life
Tanner's parents are Fred and Cathy Glass. He has a brother named Darnell and a sister named Shayna.

Growing up in nearby Craven, Saskatchewan, he graduated from Lumsden High School.

An honour roll student, Tanner also played on several athletic high school teams. He won provincial championships in baseball and hockey as well bronze medals in the 200 metre and 4x100 metre relay track events.

In July of 2011, Tanner married Emily Tracy in Seattle, Washington and they have one child.