PHOTO COURTESY CALGARY HITMEN X
The Calgary Hitmen acquired Carson Birnie from the Red Deer Rebels in one of two trades made Saturday. Birnie made his Hitmen debut on Sunday, recording an assist in a 5-2 win over the Regina Pats.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Calgary Hitmen made a pair of trades Saturday.
The Hitmen acquired Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman Sawyer Mynio, fresh off a World Juniors appearance with Team Canada. The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect has five goals and 19 points in 18 games this season. Mynio was part of the Thunderbirds’ 2023 championship roster, scoring a goal and four points in 19 playoff games that season.
Going the other way, Calgary sent 17-year-old forward Sawyer Mayes, 18-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett, a first-round pick in the 2025 and 2026 and a fourth-round pick in both 2025 and 2026.
“We have acquired one of the top defenceman in the Western Hockey League who contributes a vast amount of experience both in the regular season, playoffs, and internationally,” general manager Garry Davidson said in a release. “Acquiring players of this magnitude requires a club to give up a lot, including two young quality players who we wish all the best to in Seattle.”
They also picked up 19-year-old forward Carson Birnie from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for 16-year-old forward Ethan Dundas, 17-year-old forward Parker MacDougall, a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Birnie has nine goals and 19 points in 35 games this season.
“Carson comes in with lots of experience and tools that will add to the depth of this team,” Davidson said. “He is a physical 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward who will add presence and size to our forward group.”
Those moves follow the acquisition of 20-year-old net minder Daniel Hauser from the Wenatchee Wild on Thursday. They also previously traded for Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Tanner Howe, who has retuned from playing for Canada at the World Juniors as well as Minnesota Wild defence prospect Kalem Parker.
The Thunderbirds also made a pair of deals on Sunday and Monday, sending Burrett to the Prince Albert Raiders and 17-year-old forward Kazen Mathies to the Saskatoon Blades.
Prince Albert sent a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Burrett who was acquired in the Mynio deal the day prior. Burrett had an assists in nine games this season with Calgary.
The Blades sent Seattle a 2027 fifth-round pick for Mathies, who has five goals and seven points in 31 points.
The WHL trade deadline is Thursday at 6 p.m. with the Central division the tightest in the league. The Medicine Hat Tigers (22-15-2) sit tied with the Hitmen for first place with the Hitmen (21-11-3-1), each having 46 points. The Hitmen, who have played three fewer games than the Tigers, are only three points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings (20-14-1-2) and four ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (20-14-1-1).
General manager Willie Desjardins reaffirms the moves made around the division doesn’t change their plans ahead of the deadline.
“The problem is, everybody on our side loaded up, it doesn’t matter if there’s three teams, it’s going to be tough,” Desjardins said. “So we just have to make sure we’re ready. We have so many unknowns right now, we just haven’t had a healthy lineup forever, so it’s hard to say exactly what we do.”
