Chris Farber | AHL Rhythm
For an AHL newbie, going from living with a host family to living on your own can be a difficult process, but you know what makes it all better?
cat.
Abbotsford Canucks defender Sawyer Mainio During his junior career, he spent four seasons in the Western Hockey League, including three and a half seasons with Seattle and one and a half seasons with Calgary.
He now feels as if he is building a home. Mainio is back in B.C. with his girlfriend Liv’s hometown, one of the couple’s first major life decisions as adults was to get a kitten, which they named Marvin.
But why get one cat when you can have two?
They decided to get a second cat because Mineo would be home from the rink, or Liv would be home from get off work, and little Marvin looked like he needed company.
This is where Teddy comes in.
“We kind of feel bad for Marvin,” Mainio said. “He was all alone, so we went out and got him a little sister. We lived in a townhouse, so it was three floors and it was very up and down. The cat was always running up and down every floor of the house.”
The cats are big fans of their dad and love watching all the action on TV when Meinio is on the road.
“Sometimes they just watch TV during the game, but Liv said sometimes they dance on the TV, too,” he said.
“I've read some about Jason Robertson He said every goal he scored was for his cat. Obviously, he's got a lot more goals than me, but, yeah, I would say my three goals this season are from Marvin and Teddy. “
As a pro, with a new hockey schedule and figuring out how to be an adult, Cat helped bring some relaxation time into Mainio's life. Although the two can be difficult to get along with when Liv and he are in the kitchen cooking, the couple is grateful for the smiles they bring to their home.
It took Meinio and the Canucks years of hard work to become a full-time AHL player. In each of the previous two seasons, the young defenseman seized the opportunity to skate as the “Black Ace” of the Abbotsford Canucks.
“Those two playoff games were definitely a good start for me,” he said. “It's great for me to meet the players, coaches and other staff. It's a great start to the season.”
Mainio went through Abbotsford's entire Calder Cup run last season and happened to be the last player to touch the cup before handing it over to the head coach Manny Malhotra.
There have been ups and downs as a rookie in the AHL, but Mainio has been able to work his way into a player that the Abbotsford coaching staff trusts to play to their strengths. He credits early success with power play to assistant coaches Hari Mahesh.
“He was in charge of the power play and mentioned to me last year about recording the power play of the Calder Cup team,” Mainio said. “Christian Wolanin He was a great person to watch last season and it gave me some new ideas for running the team. “
The promotion to the top of a strong side is a new position for Meinho, who was typically used as a one-off option at right midfield as a teenager.
The AHL has a bevy of rookie defensemen making their mark in the league, and Mynio — Vancouver's third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft — is in the top 10 of a group with first-round picks, such as Dmitry Simashev and Kat YakomchukMynio’s former junior teammate.
“It’s fun to see these young guards succeed in this league,” Meinio said. “I thought of a friend of mine, Tanner Molendik Playing with the Milwaukee Admirals and watching him play is always fun as well. He's a very good player.
“I think it's rare sometimes for young defensemen to have early success in the AHL, but it's nice to see a lot of us have success this season. It gives us more competition, honestly. We see each other's performance and get some battles out of it.”
His rookie season can be tough, but Mainio's family life helps him decompress between practices and games. The 20-year-old is laser-focused on one day establishing himself in the NHL, locking down targets like a cat following a laser pointer.
