We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our Honourable Mentions installment.

Number 5 is…

Sawyer Mynio

Team: Calgary Hitmen | Age: 19 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 181 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Third round, 89 overall, 2023 | Last year’s rank: 8

From being a lesser-known shutdown defender to a budding two-way prospect on the rise, it’s been a very positive post-draft career for 2023 third-rounder Sawyer Mynio.

Last year, he put himself on the map with a potent breakout season: a 16-goal, 53-point season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Now playing through his fourth WHL season at just 19, he’s continued that same impressive play, with even more positives oozing from his game.

Thanks to an intriguing mix of shutdown nastiness and blossoming offensive abilities, the Kamloops native earned himself a role on Team Canada at the coveted World Junior event. It was the first time the young defender had sported the red and white, and although he played a minimal role, it’s an incredible testament to the development he has undergone in short order.

As expected, Mynio was dealt upon his return from the tournament, with Seattle sitting as a Western League bottom-dweller. In a push for a Memorial Cup run, the Calgary Hitmen added him to their blueline to join respected drafted prospects such as Carter Yakemchuk (Ottawa Senators) and Tanner Howe (Pittsburgh Penguins).

Since joining, he has led the team in ice time while slotting in as a fixture to their top powerplay and continues his role as a go-to penalty killer. As a result, he’s led the team’s defenders with 10 points through 16 games and is second on the entire team with 52 shots on net and 40 blocked shots.

He’s up to 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) across 34 games for the season, down ever-so-slightly from last year due to an injury before the World Junior break.

First and foremost, his competitive demeanour is the area of his game that offers the highest potential and translatability. Despite not sporting the heaviest of frames, he’s an absolute gamer and does not consider losing a battle an option. What he lacks in size, he makes up for it in nastiness.

He’s a top-notch penalty killer and can play the defensive shutdown game against the opposing team’s top brass. At least at the junior level, that’s always been a part of the game.

What’s genuinely blossomed and has put him above the pack is his offensive potential. Thanks to his plus skating and boom of shot, Mynio has been one of the Western League’s premier producers from the backend. His heavy one-timer has become a patented element of his game, and he even sprinkles some sift skill in there.

Just look at this goal.

And then there’s the shot, which has accounted for most of his goals in recent years. If he’s scoring a goal, there’s a good chance that it’s courtesy of a howitzer from the point.

Ultimately, we don’t anticipate that production will fully translate, as he’ll be up against much less time and space and heavier competitors. But his shot should do wonders for him, no matter how he plays.

Ceiling: The added offensive punch is just the icing on the cake. What makes Mynio a promising young defender is his aggressive approach and ability to play an effective penalty-killing game. That, combined with his improved mobility and howitzer of a release, offers an intriguing bottom-four NHL defensive pairing upside.

Floor: His transition will tell all, but with his aggressive defensive nature, his booming shot on the powerplay and his natural knack for killing penalties, he should be able to carve out a fruitful AHL career. That’s assuming the rest of the package can be translated.

ETA: There is excitement about Mynio’s potential, but with roughly 50 percent of third-rounders playing in at least one NHL game, there’s still an uphill battle for Mynio. We anticipate a couple of years of AHL development before we begin to expect him to see NHL games. That said, there’s a good chance he will join Abbotsford by the end of the current season, which, hopefully, will come after a long and fruitful Memorial Cup run.

That’s our #5 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.