Abbotsford Canucks forward Braeden Cootes and defenceman Sawyer Mynio have known each other for four years, building a connection that started with the Seattle Thunderbirds and continues with the Canucks.
They were co-captains of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds for the 2024-25 season, meeting for the first time 2022-23 season when Cootes played up with the Thunderbirds as a 15-year-old.
Mynio recalled an intersquad three-on-three tournament that season that had the group fighting over who was going to have Cootes on their team.
“Everyone wanted Cootesy on the team. I think everyone just wanted his energy and everything, his playmaking," Mynio said. “He's always been a good player and a hard worker."
That season, Cootes spent the preseason with the Thunderbirds and then joined them for their Memorial Cup playoff run. That kind of experience at a young age was invaluable for Cootes.
“It was really good for me at that age to practice with a team like that for two, three months and get to play against guys like [Dylan] Guenther, [Brad] Lambert, [Kevin] Korchinski when I was 15, not many guys get the opportunity to do that,” Cootes said. “Also just to go on the run with the guys and be on the bus, watch all the games, and see what it takes to win a championship like that."
Mynio discussed changes he’s made to his offseason training routine this past summer after his first year as a professional hockey player with Abbotsford last season. The Kamloops native spent his summer in Kelowna and skated with NHL defencemen like Shea Theodore, Kaedan Korczak, and Luke Schenn, noting that at the pro level, everything is ratcheted up a few notches.
“Guys like that are pushing you every day. Seeing how they do stuff in the gym, you just take things from them,” Mynio said. “Then on the ice it’s just another level, seeing what they do in the offseason. It was really good. You get a little wakeup call after your first year [as a] pro."
Mynio’s focus this season is on the defensive side of his game, his tight gaps and minimizing mistakes.
Cootes also wants to minimize mistakes this season and really focus on his play in the defensive zone, while working on his offensive game and being creative offensively.
