Wyatt Kalynuk

Wyatt Kalynuk
Born	(1997-04-14) April 14, 1997 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	Vancouver Canucks Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Draft	196th overall, 2017 Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career	2020–present

Wyatt Kalynuk (born April 14, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the seventh round, 196th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He previously played for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA.

Early life

Kalynuk was born on April 14, 1997 in Brandon, Manitoba, and was raised in nearby Virden by parents Leanne and Randy Kalynuk. He began playing minor ice hockey with the Virden Minor Hockey Association, and would practice for hours per day at an outdoor rink outside Virden Junior High School. Kalynuk says that, while many of his youth hockey teammates aspired to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), he "was just thinking about playing the game for fun". His minor hockey career continued with the Southwest Cougars of the Manitoba U-18 'AAA' Hockey League. In one season with the U18 AAA Cougars, Kalynuk scored one goal and 17 points in 43 games.

Playing career

Amateur

Kalynuk was given an opportunity to begin playing for the Western Hockey League when he turned 16, but he was physically smaller than most of the other players, so he decided to spend one season playing junior ice hockey in Manitoba. He spent the 2013–14 hockey season with the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). He was the youngest member on the team that year, playing on a defensive pair with Brad Reichardt. Kalynuk scored seven points in his first 25 games as a member of the Oil Capitals, and scored his first junior hockey goal on November 23, 2013, in a 7-0 victory over the OCN Blizzard. At the conclusion of the season, Kalynuk was named to the MJHL's All-Rookie Team.

Professional

Kalynuk made his NHL debut on March 7, 2021, in a 6-3 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His first NHL goal also happened to be the game-winning goal, coming late in the second period of a 4-3 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 10, 2021.

As an impending restricted free agent following the 2021–22 season, Kalynuk was not tendered a qualifying offer by the rebuilding Blackhawks, and was released to free agency on 12 July 2022. The following day Kalynuk was signed to a one-year, two-way contract to join the Vancouver Canucks.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013–14	Virden Oil Capitals	MJHL		56	1	12	13	8		10	1	2	3	6
2014–15	Lincoln Stars	USHL		55	0	15	15	16		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Bloomington Thunder	USHL		59	3	21	24	16		10	0	2	2	8
2016–17	Bloomington Thunder	USHL		60	6	25	31	82		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	U. of Wisconsin	B1G		37	3	22	25	28		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	U. of Wisconsin	B1G		37	9	16	25	32		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	U. of Wisconsin	B1G		36	7	21	28	24		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		8	2	8	10	6		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		21	4	5	9	4		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		52	7	20	27	55		5	0	1	1	6
2021–22	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		5	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				26	4	5	9	6		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada Western	U17	9th		5	0	0	0	0
Junior totals					5	0	0	0	0

Awards and honours

Award	Year
MJHL
All-Rookie Team	2014
USHL
Third All-Star Team	2017
College
B1G All-Rookie Team	2018
B1G Honorable Mention All-Star Team	2018
B1G Second All-Star Team	2019
B1G First All-Star Team	2020
B1G Sportsmanship Award	2020

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database