The transition from living with a family to living independently can be difficult for an AHL rookie, but you know what makes everything better?
Cats.
Abbotsford Canucks defenseman Sawyer Mynio spent four seasons away from home during his junior career in the Western Hockey League, playing three and a half seasons in Seattle and a half season in Calgary.
He now feels like he is building a house. Mynio is back in British Columbia, with his girlfriend Alive‘s hometown, and one of the first big decisions the couple made as adults was buying a kitten they named Marvin.
But why have one cat when you can have two?
They decided to get a second cat because Mynio would be home from the rink or Liv would be home from work, and little Marvin looked like he needed some company.
That’s where Teddy came into the equation.
“We felt a little sorry for Marvin,” Mynio said. “He was all alone, so we went out and got him a little sister. We live in a townhouse, so it’s very up and down because it’s three floors. The cats are always just running around every floor of the house.”
The cats are big fans of their dad and enjoy watching all the action on TV when Mynio is on the road.
“Sometimes they just watch the TV during the games, but Liv said there are funny moments when they jump up to the TV too,” he said.
“I’ve seen some things about it Jason Robertson proverb every goal he scores is for his cats. Obviously he scores a lot more than me, but yeah, I’d say my three this season are for Marvin and Teddy.
With a new hockey schedule as a professional and figuring out how to grow up, the cats help bring some relaxation into Mynio’s life. Although the duo can be quite a handful when Liv or he is cooking in the kitchen, the couple is grateful for the smiles they bring to the household.
The transition to a full-time AHL player has been a multi-year effort by Mynio and the Canucks organization. In each of the previous two seasons, the young defenseman has jumped at the opportunity to skate as a “black ace” with the Abbotsford Canucks.
“Those two playoff runs were definitely a great start for me,” he said. “Meeting the guys, the coaches and the rest of the staff was great for me. It was a great head start for this season.”
Mynio was part of Abbotsford’s entire Calder Cup run last season and happened to be the last player to touch the cup before handing it to the head coach Manny Malhotra.
Being a rookie in the AHL has its ups and downs, but Mynio has been able to develop into a player that the Abbotsford coaching staff trusts to run their power play. He credits the assistant coach for the early success on the power play Harry Mahesh.
“He runs the power play and asked me last year to take notes on the power play of the Calder Cup team,” Mynio said. “Christian Wolanin He was a great guy to watch last season, and that gave me some new ideas for running a unit.”
Rising to the top of the power play was a new position for Mynio, who was typically used as a one-timer option at right half during his junior days.
The AHL has a nest of rookie defensemen who are doing well in the league, and Mynio – a third-round pick of Vancouver in the 2023 NHL Draft – is in the top 10 for points in a group that includes first-round picks like Dmitri Simashev And Carter Yakemchuka former junior teammate of Mynio’s.
“It’s fun to see these young defenders having success in the league,” Mynio said. “I think of one of my friends, Tanner Molendijk with the Milwaukee Admirals, and it’s always fun to watch him too. He’s such a good player.
“I think it’s sometimes rare to see young defensemen find early success in the AHL, but it’s great to see so many of us succeed this season. And honestly, it gives us more competition. We’ll see how each other goes and make it a little battle.”
A rookie season can be tough, but Mynio’s home life helps him relax between practices and games. The 20-year-old is hyper-focused on landing on his feet in the NHL one day, locked into that goal like a cat following a laser pointer.
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