Canucks Prospects Report: Romani, Mynio, Willander & More

The final will be played on April 12, so if Willander and his team make it all the way there, there’s a chance the Canucks will sign him to his entry-level contract shortly after. The Canucks only have two games after that weekend (April 14 vs. San Jose Sharks and April 16 vs. Vegas Golden Knights), so they would have to get it done fairly quickly for him to make his NHL debut this season. Regardless, fans will likely get to see him in some form, as he would still join the Abbotsford Canucks in what will hopefully be a long run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Romani Scorching Hot to Start the OHL Playoffs

Romani had a first half to forget because of the broken clavicle he suffered at the beginning of the season, but since returning from that injury, he has been on fire. He not only finished the regular season with 11 goals in 12 games, but he has already scored seven goals in the playoffs as the Barrie Colts lead their best-of-seven series 3-1 over the Niagara IceDogs. He started with two goals in Game 1, a hat trick in Game 2, and finally, goals in Games 3 and 4. Going back to the regular season, he is now on a five-game goal streak, with nine goals in that span. Drafted in the sixth round by the Canucks in 2024, Romani is quickly showing everyone why he should have been considered for a much higher pick.

Mynio Continues to Be More Than Just a Modern Defensive Defenceman

Moving to the WHL, Mynio has also gotten off to a quick start in the playoffs, notching three assists in the Hitmen’s first-round sweep of the Saskatoon Blades. Like Romani, he was dealt before the trade deadline from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Hitmen, and was lighting up the scoreboard to finish the regular season. Including the playoffs, he has 10 points in his last 11 games and was on an eight-game point streak before it was snapped in the Hitmen’s final game against the Medicine Hat Tigers on March 23. He finished the season with 14 goals and 45 points in 49 games between the Thunderbirds and Blades, which is a solid follow-up to the career-high 16 goals and 53 points in 63 games he had last season.

Mynio was also a late-round (89th overall) pickup by the Canucks in the 2023 Draft, and continues to show a lot more offensive potential than was originally expected after his draft year. Since the 31 points in 68 games he put up in 2022-23, he has 30 goals and 98 points in 112 games. He has clearly developed more of an offensive game and might turn into more than just a Jaccob Slavin/Chris Tanev-type defender at the NHL level. Time will tell, but it’s becoming more and more apparent every day that the Canucks have another third-round steal on their hands, just like what they have seen with their 2022 selection, Elias Pettersson, so far.

Lots More Excitement to Come

In addition to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Playoffs and NCAA Frozen Four tournament, fans can also look forward to the upcoming Calder Cup Playoffs, which will see the Abbotsford Canucks make a third-straight appearance since missing them in their inaugural season. They are currently on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak that has them only five points back of the Western Conference-leading Colorado Eagles with seven games remaining. Surprisingly, they are doing it without top scorers Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Aatu Raty, who are all in Vancouver right now. With their additions, along with Elias Pettersson, Victor Mancini, and Nils Aman, not to mention potentially Willander, they could be a dark horse to win it all.

All in all, it should be an exciting time in the Lower Mainland, even though the hometown NHL team likely won’t be competing for the Stanley Cup this year.