As we know, Canada West Player of the Year Riley Sawchuk had already signed with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, and we were waiting to see how #90 fit into the Griffins' gameplan. There's no doubt that Sawchuk can score as he's proven that time and again both in the WHL and in Canada West, but playing pro hockey at the AHL level is a different beast altogether.
Well, we can circle a date on the calendar because Riley Sawchuk knocked the monkey off his back on March 3 when he notched his first-ever professional hockey goal against the Iowa Wild!
Sawchuk converts the 2-on-1 feed from Dominik Shine at 5:37 of the first period to put the Griffins up 1-0, and Mount Royal fans will recognize that quick release after Shine put the puck in Sawchuk's wheelhouse. Sawchuk beat Zane McIntyre for his first professional goal, so expect that puck to be on a Sawchuk mantle at some point!
From there, we move to Nolan Yaremko, Sawchuk's partner-in-scoring for the Cougars, who signed a deal with the AHL's Laval Rocket on Tuesday. Yaremko has been everything the Cougars had needed in slotting in alongside Sawchuk, and their chemistry saw the two men put up incredible point totals over their time with the program. However, it'll be up to Yaremko to find new chemistry with players in Quebec as he looked to get set for his debut with Laval!
Well, the good news is that Yaremko did make his debut tonight with the Laval Rocket as he wore #23 in the game against the Syracuse Crunch. The bad news? He didn't factor into the scoring, but recorded a shot in the 2-1 overtime win by Laval! Yaremko's nose for the offensive side of the game was on display all night in Syracuse as I watched this game, but he'll get another shot tomorrow night in Springfield as the Rocket will play the Thunderbirds on Saturday. We know Yaremko's had success against the UBC Thunderbirds, so maybe he'll victimize another Thunderbirds team tomorrow?
The final former Cougars player highlighted here tonight is Andrew Fyten as he's off to the southern reaches of the ECHL as he signed a deal with the Florida Everblades last Friday. Fyten wasn't mentioned in the same breath as Sawchuk and Yaremko most nights, but Fyten is one of those players that every team wants - works hard, never gives up on a puck, has hands, can skate, and is defensively responsible. His seven goals and ten assists in 24 games this season was three goals and two points better than his university high in 2019-20, so he's a consistent scorer when given the opportunity as well.
Florida didn't waste any time getting Fyten into a #12 jersey for Saturday night's game against the Savannah Ghost Pirates, and Fyten rewarded his new team's faith in him quickly.
This goal had all sorts of former Canada West pieces in it as Fyten beat former Calgary Dinos netminder Jordan Papirny on the rebound off of former Golden Bears forward Levko Koper's initial shot at 5:30 of the second period for his first professional goal as Fyten tied the game at 1-1. This game would be decided with a skills competition where Savannah would rally for the 3-2 shootout win.
There was never any doubt that Canada West rosters were filled with talent, but seeing Mount Royal's best players doing well at the next levels is a sure sign that Canada West hockey is still a good place for undrafted hockey talent to continue to develop. While there's no guarantee that playing Canada West hockey will get players a shot at the next level, those that work hard, continue to hone their talents, and show solid progression through their university careers will attract suitors when it comes to finding professional work.
Based on the success that Mount Royal Cougars are having at the professional level, the Cougars may want to start using those successes to continue to attract top talent to their program!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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