When Sawyer Mynio was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, he was already a WHL Ed Chynoweth Cup Champion, part of a loaded Seattle Thunderbirds’ team that featured 16 now-drafted-players.
A dominant, win-now team in 2023, the roster underwent immense changes over the subsequent summer. They were the rulers of the WHL – but as we know, everyone has an end date. An Inevitability of the junior hockey game, the Thunderbirds’ time as a top contender in the WHL was over.
To make matters worse, potential returnee and first-round pick Kevin Korchinski made the Chicago Blackhawks out of camp, setting up Mynio and Nashville Predators prospect Jeremy Hanzel to take over.
Becoming a top-pair defender in a season where the Thunderbirds missed the playoffs, Mynio’s minutes ramped up, his puck touches increased, and moving into 2024-2025, the British Columbian has only been productive across his minutes.
In fact, over Mynio’s last 64 games going back to last season, he is point-per-game, scoring twenty goals over that span. Just this year, across ten games, Mynio has 11 points and has already found the back of the net four times.
Nevertheless, Mynio’s game encompasses more than just offence – his defending is something to get excited about.
Excelling Defensively
A proactive and thorough play reader, Mynio is already an expert at clogging passing and shooting lanes. The key is mental mapping ability; he diligently scans to find secondary and tertiary options, panning the defensive zone like a 360-degree security camera. This leads to superior positioning, allowing him to check shot releases, deflect slot-destined pucks, and push a disruptive game.
When discussing translation to the NHL game, all the habits above only help his cause. Professional hockey is faster and requires a proactive mindset.
In addition, Mynio is a bruiser at the net front who beats up, boxes out, and physically moves net-front activators before they can work a redirect or pounce on a rebound. He hunts for the inside, wides his base, leverages his body upward, and jousts with larger threats, knocking them off balance like in intense crease battles. Sticks are constantly tied up, chopped away, and nullified across his efforts. Yes, he is overzealous at times, even dirty, but the sentiment is always the same – you are going to have a rough time if Mynio is on the ice.
This physicality extends into Mynio’s rush defending. In his draft year, the former third-round pick was a more nuanced playstopper north-to-south. He focused on matching footwork and guiding puck carriers to the outside – he was a better play-killer. With more minutes and better competition, Mynio had to change, focusing on more aggressive swingouts that took form into wild, often out-of-control hits and lunging poke checks focused on killing entries early.
Why Context is Important when Evaluating Mynio
Far from a perfect defender, this rush-defending dichotomy between his draft year and the present day is more about his usage than a regression in play – an important context when looking at his translatability.
Mynio has averaged 26:02 time-on-ice this season, playing across every scenario on an undermanned team by WHL standards. Under the Thunderbirds’ system, defenders are involved in every facet of the play. They are expected to lead rushes and work puck touches off the blueline in addition to their defensive responsibilities.
This creates an unfortunate scenario where Mynio has to manage his game at some level. It’s unrealistic and frankly impossible for a player to operate perfectly with that many minutes – physically, it’s a tall order.
Ultimately, this leads to mistakes or, more importantly, missed opportunities. Across Mynio’s tape, there are moments where he is lax on net-front threats, passive with his stick, backpedalling instead of aggressively shooting out, and more reactive than proactive.
I know what some may think: it’s an excuse for inconsistent play. The thing is, if you watch Mynio’s play in the videos above, you already know he’s a strong lane clogger, processor, and physical threat. It’s almost a game of picking his battles, something many high-minute, high-leverage CHL defenders deal with on a game-to-game basis.
The reality is that Mynio will likely never have to face that level of responsibility with the Canucks or in another professional environment. It wouldn’t be surprising that, in time, many of the missed opportunities start to dissipate, along with the return of his guide-heavy transition game. These things don’t typically disappear – more put on the back burner.
Is the Offence Game Legitimate?
While Mynio’s defence highlights his efforts, his offensive game deserves mention.
Possessing a canon off a shot, most of the Kamloops product’s contributions come from absolute nukes at the top of the slot or down off the right-hand circle. His shooting mechanics are amazing – unlocked arm, downforce from his upper body, weight transfer through a dropped knee; they all blend to make him a one-time threat, especially off the powerplay. His accuracy stands out, and it’s a clear, NHL-level tool in his arsenal.
Beyond that, Mynio possesses a budding activation game. As mentioned, he is uber-involved, attempting to work give-and-go passing plays and working handles, all in an attempt to attack downhill. While much of his movement ends up being on the perimeter of the ice – not ideal for creating offence, it’s more about the “want” rather than the “result.” If he’s activating now, it could turn into something more later.
Furthermore, Mynio is a deft puck carrier who often headmans end-to-end rushes. Blending his edges to pump laterally, he’s a fast skater north-to-south who pulls off daring handles past neutral zone defenders, burning past them with a legitimate second gear. While his game falls apart after the entry, he’s a regular roadrunner, pushing opponents on their heels.
Channelling his inner Michael Scofield, Mynio’s ability to escape pressure off the puck retrieval is another aspect of his game that will aid his translation to the professional game. In the NHL, defenders who cannot retrieve and break out the puck are unreliable enough to play daily. If you can’t handle the NHL forecheck, you are cooked.
Luckily, Mynio is deceptive, using his stick and feet to fake one way only to cut another. He’s extremely calm under pressure, often facing double teams off the retrieval at the NHL level, only to escape and hit one of his forwards with an in-motion breakout. All these qualities are essential to surviving the pace of the NHL game.
Projection, World Juniors, and another WHL Contender?
It’s easy to see why the Canucks as an organization are excited about Mynio’s prospects as an NHL defender. When you have the sense, physical game, and puck-moving ability, with more runway to improve across all areas, his projection is one more of certainty than uncertainty. Everything suggests that he has enough ability to be a number-five or even a second-pair defender– valuable for a team fighting the salary cap for the foreseeable future. That is a great result when you talk about outcomes for third-round picks.
Regarding his future in junior, Seattle possesses a top prospect in Braeden Cootes – recently ranked 7th in Elite Prospects October rankings. Beyond that, the 5-7-1 team has struggled with consistency and scoring this year. With Mynio invited to Team Canada’s Summer Showcase, he could be an option come the 2025 World Junior Championship. As the most significant player movement occurs around the annual tournament, It wouldn’t be shocking if WHL organizations look to Seattle to add a top-pair defender to their mix, potentially giving the Canucks prospect another shot at a WHL championship.
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