It’s very early in the season for every league across the globe, but there are a few Vancouver Canucks prospects that have made their presence known so far. In fact, the players discussed in this edition of the prospects report hail from four different leagues stretching from the Western Hockey League (WHL) all the way overseas to the Swedish J20 Nationell.
With that, let’s start in the former with a surprisingly productive Sawyer Mynio, who has made noise with the Seattle Thunderbirds and is off to a crazy 1.33 points-per-game pace.
Sawyer Mynio, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Entering his fourth season in the WHL, Mynio was coming off a career-high 16 goals and 53 points in 63 games. Known more as a defensive defenceman in the ilk of Chris Tanev and Jaccob Slavin in his draft year, he has shown a lot more offensive potential over the last season and a bit. He has started this season on a tear with four goals and 16 points in 12 games so far – good for second in the league amongst defencemen.
Mynio is a workhorse on the Thunderbirds blue line, playing in all situations for a team that isn’t projected to go anywhere. He might even be traded before the WHL Trade Deadline depending on where they are in the standings at that point. They are currently 5-9-1, one point ahead of the last-place Wenatchee Wild in the Western Conference.
Mynio impressed Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet in training camp and the one preseason game he played against the Seattle Kraken. He specifically highlighted him two times, once during training camp and another following the preseason game in Seattle.
“He’s a good player…He’s got a lot of potential. I’m watching him go against JT Miller one-on-one—that’s tough—but I’ve liked his game, you know? And he’s got a lot of things you’re looking for.”
Tocchet on Mynio during training camp
“[Mynio] is a great prospect for us. He’s poised out there.”
Tocchet on Mynio after the Canucks’ preseason game against the Kraken
Mynio has a lot of attributes that should serve him well when he gets to the professional level. He already has the defensive game down, as he has similar hockey IQ in his own zone as top defensive defencemen like Tanev or Slavin. He is also a great skater, possesses a hard shot, and a good first pass. With how he has performed in the last 75 games of his WHL career (20 goals, 69 points), he might become a solid top-four option with the capacity to put up 30-40 points rather than just 10-20. That, along with his prowess defensively and willingness to block shots, an elite two-way defenceman could be his ceiling. Not bad for a third-round pick, right?
Vilmer Alriksson, Guelph Storm (OHL)
Vilmer Alriksson was another prospect that impressed the Canucks brass in training camp and the preseason. The 6-foot-6, 234-pound Swede showcased his size and physicality throughout the festivities and earned himself an entry-level contract (ELC) by the end of it. He was returned to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before the final preseason game and has started his sophomore season with three goals and five points in eight games.
Currently on a three-game point streak after scoring in the Storm’s 7-2 loss to the Flint Firebirds on Friday (Oct. 25), Alriksson has four points in his last five games and has failed to record a point in only three games this season. He is shooting the puck a lot too, with at least three shots in every game. Hopefully, he can sustain this production and not go into mini slumps. Last season, he started on a similar pace with four goals and six points in his first eight games but hit a rut in November finishing with only one goal in 12 games. He noted in the offseason that he wanted to become more consistent offensively, so it will be interesting to see if November is different this time around.
Tom Willander, Boston University (NCAA)
Moving to the college circuit, Tom Willander is also off to a great start with two goals and five points in five games – including the game-winner in Boston University’s 4-3 win over North Dakota on Saturday (Oct. 26). He is coming off a productive freshman year where he put up four goals and 25 points in 38 games and won a silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC). He will definitely be in the mix again for that honour to represent his country at the 2025 WJC, especially if he keeps producing at a point-per-game pace.
An absolutely HUGE goal by Tom late in the third!pic.twitter.com/RySdXhYPyX
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 27, 2024
Willander is currently playing in the top four with fellow Swede Sascha Boumedienne (even though he was born in Finland), who is projected to go in the top 20 in this year’s draft. As a high first-round pick himself, he should be a good mentor for Boumedienne as he navigates through his draft year.
Melvin Fernstrom, Orebro HK J20 (J20 Nationell)
Finishing overseas with Melvin Fernstrom, the Canucks appear to have found another gem in the later rounds. Playing mostly in the J20 Nationell this season, he has five goals and nine points in eight games with Orebro HK J20, including a three-game goal streak last week (Oct. 19-23). Sandwiched between a two-game stint in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) where he never saw the ice, he is on a four-game point streak, recently recording two assists in Orebro HK J20’s 5-3 win over Vasteras IK J20 on Sunday (Oct. 27). Last season, he led Orebro HK J20 in scoring with 31 goals and 63 points.
Fernstrom was the Canucks’ first pick in the 2024 NHL Draft at 93rd overall. He was ranked as high as 58th by Craig Button and as low as 97th by McKeen’s Hockey, so his floor/ceiling varies depending on who you talk to. Scouts generally agree on a few things, though, he is a high-end playmaker with an arsenal of shots at his disposal, and his weaknesses are his motor and defensive game. He has intriguing offensive upside and could play for Team Sweden at the 2025 WJC if he keeps up his production at the J20 level or catches fire in the SHL. His last international experience came during the 2024 U18 World Championship where he was one of their top scorers finishing with three goals and eight points in seven games.
Quick Hits
- Jackson Kunz potted the first two goals of his senior year at the University of North Dakota on Friday (Oct. 25) against fellow Canucks prospects Willander and Aiden Celebrini. They were part of a 7-2 victory, the only blemish on BU’s record so far. It will be interesting to see if the Canucks come calling later in the season to sign an ELC or allow him to enter free agency.
- 2024 sixth-round pick Anthony Romani, who finished last season with a career-high 58 goals and 111 points, suffered a broken clavicle on Oct. 11 against the Erie Otters and is out indefinitely. He had already hit the ground running with two goals and five points in six games, but will now have to rehab an injury for a while.
- Sticking with the OHL and the 2024 Draft, fourth-round pick Riley Patterson has started the season with three goals and six points in 10 games. The Barrie Colts pivot scored all three in a two-game span against the Owen Sound Attack and Ottawa 67’s on Oct. 17 and 20 respectively, but hasn’t recorded a point since, going three games without getting on the scoresheet.
That’s it for this edition of the Canucks Prospects Report. Stay tuned for more in a couple of weeks as we continue to track the top performances of prospects throughout the Canadian Hockey League, NCAA, and overseas. If you’re looking for how the American Hockey League youngsters are doing, be sure to check out the bi-weekly Canucks On the Farm column.
