The Tahoe Knight Monsters have announced that they have signed defenseman Brandon Tabakin to a contract for the 2024-25 season. Tabakin joins the Knight Monsters after scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 36 games at Arizona State University before joining the Newfoundland Growlers for six games, where he added one assist before the Growlers folded. Prior to going pro, the 24-year-old defenseman would spend three seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, putting up two goals and 23 assists for 25 points in 133 games; he would end up winning a Clark Cup with the Sioux Falls in 2019. He would also spend four years at the NCAA level playing for Yale University and Arizona State University, where he would put up five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 110 games.
For the Knight Monsters, this is the second former Growlers defenseman the team has signed after signing Brennan Kapcheck earlier this off-season. There’s a lot to like about the New York Native as he finished last season with a +26, which was a record for a single season +/- at Arizona State and third best in the country during the 2023-24 season. He has shown that he can play a solid defensive game as the 5’10 defenseman finished his final year of eligibility with 29 blocked shots in 36 games. Tabakin is the seventh signing and third defensive signing for the Knight Monsters this off-season; he is also the youngest signing so far for the Knight Monsters.
