Mynio arrives at fourth Canucks camp with a calmer game

Sawyer Mynio is heading into his fourth Vancouver Canucks training camp, and the 21-year-old defenceman arrives off being named Abbotsford's Rookie of the Year following his first full professional season.

He changed how he spent the offseason. Mynio trained in Kelowna alongside a group of NHL players, including Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn, plus Kaedan Korczak, Shea Theodore and Tyler Myers.

"You show up in the morning and do your work on the ice and off the ice. You take care of your body and be respectful to every single guy in the gym," Mynio said. "There was a lot to take away from those guys. It was a great group to be around."

His rookie year in Abbotsford was built on trust that grew as the season went along. Two of the coaches who helped him get there, Manny Malhotra and Jordan Smith, were promoted to the NHL staff this summer, which Mynio sees as a benefit rather than a loss.

"Smitty really helped me with my habits and my maturity. He was really big on that," Mynio said. "He talked about how you can't take any part of practice off because it'll affect your timing in the next game. It's great to have him up in the NHL now."

The stretch of camps behind him is not lost on him either. His first was in Victoria in 2023.

"It's kind of crazy," he said. "This one is totally different. I'm a lot more mature as a player. Manny and Smitty really know my game, and that can help me in the future."

Mynio points to teammate Kirill Kudryavtsev, who has five NHL games over the past two seasons, as the template: play well in the AHL, build relationships, wait for the call.

"Kirill has a great relationship with the NHL guys, and I know him really well too. He got into a few games last year, and I'm hoping to do the same," Mynio said. "I'm building relationships and talking to everyone, being a friendly guy, being talkative, and getting to know them all. That stuff definitely helps."