Sawyer Mynio<\/a>, eight games into his rookie season, has swiftly become the stabilizing force on Abbotsford\u2019s back end to hold down the fort while reinforcements return.\u201cOpportunities to learn\u201d<\/p>\nUnsurprisingly, head coach Manny Malhotra has maintained a calm, steady tone throughout these uncharted times. For him, it\u2019s not about what\u2019s missing, but what can be learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always look at these not as adversity, but opportunities to learn,\u201d Malhotra told Abbotsford Canucks play-by-play voice Brandon Astle.<\/p>\n
And that belief has shown in Mynio\u2019s recent deployment.<\/p>\n
Rather than leaning on experience \u2014 like 30-year-old Jimmy Schuldt, a 362\u2011game AHL veteran and former captain of the San Jose Barracuda, or 27\u2011year\u2011old Nikolai Knyzhov, who brings both AHL and NHL experience \u2014 Malhotra has handed the keys of the blue line to his youngest defenceman as his go-to \u201call-situations\u201d rearguard.<\/p>\n
And judging by the way the Kamloops native has responded to increased responsibility, those minutes are not a token gesture either.<\/p>\n
Mynio\u2019s game has improved steadily with each passing game, and today that usage has taken a sharp jump. According to Instat, he has eclipsed the 27-minute mark in each of his last three games, logging minutes on the top power\u2011play unit, top penalty\u2011kill unit, and top defensive pair.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, what was originally a sub-20-minute third pairing role he was seeing just two weeks ago in Laval, Quebec, has transformed into a dive into the deep end at the professional ranks.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Mynio is] A guy that has probably been put in a situation where he normally otherwise wouldn\u2019t be in terms of the minutes that he\u2019s logging. But he\u2019s done a good job of just playing with that confidence and poise that we\u2019ve come to know him to play,\u201d said Malhotra.<\/p>\n
From WHL star to AHL test<\/p>\n
Of course, heavy minutes aren\u2019t exactly new for Mynio. Over the past two seasons, he\u2019s been leaned on heavily as a go\u2011to defenceman in the WHL.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s one thing to play 25 minutes a night against teenagers \u2014 it\u2019s another to do it against grown professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think just the size and speed,\u201d Mynio said when describing his early transition to post\u2011game media. \u201cThere are a lot of men out here, obviously. Everyone is in their at least 20s, 30s. So, it\u2019s a big jump playing from 16\u2011year\u2011olds to grown men out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Listed at 6\u2011foot\u20111 and 185 pounds, Mynio doesn\u2019t boast the biggest frame, but what he lacks in mass, he compensates for in two traits: aggression and mobility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that stands out, and thing that he will continue to need to use to his advantage is his ability to skate and get up the ice,\u201d Malhotra said. \u201cHe is a beautiful skater.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one additional tool in his kit that has finally shown up in recent games, which directly correlates to his added minutes and puck touches.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s his shot.<\/p>\n
Over the previous two seasons, Mynio finished with the fourth-highest goal totals (30) among all WHL defenders, while his 98 points sat ninth. With a heavy release, he\u2019s shown the ability to beat netminders clean with his effective one-timer.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his elevated minutes, he\u2019s now finding a way to translate that release in the American League.<\/p>\n
In Abbotsford\u2019s first homestand of the season, Mynio found the back of the net twice, with both goals coming courtesy of his heavy, accurate shot from the point. He now joins a small group of four rookie defenders with a pair of goals in their first season. That list includes Ottawa Senators\u2019 2024 seventh overall pick, Carter Yakemchuk.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the kind of weapon that can separate a young defenceman from the pack and solidify his standing in the depth chart.<\/p>\n
For a player fresh out of junior, these are rare opportunities. The AHL can be unforgiving for rookies \u2013\u00a0especially defencemen \u2013 who often spend their first year adjusting to speed, structure, and physical maturity.<\/p>\n
But in Mynio\u2019s case, there\u2019s been no safety net. While the hope is that he doesn\u2019t have to shoulder this weight for an extended period of time, his poise during tough times is a tremendous endorsement of where he stands among a growing pipeline of impressive young defenders.<\/p>\n
And as the Canucks continue to weather injuries up and down their lineup, it\u2019s been the calm, unflappable presence of their youngest defender that\u2019s kept them afloat.<\/p>\n
PRESENTED BY VIVID SEATS![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762119667_156_image\"\/)
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