Story by
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Former Niagara enforcer playing role well with Icehogs
- Story byNiagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Former Niagara enforcer playing role well with Icehogs
Connor Mylymok knows the risks, but he does not want to think about them. He wants to continue his career as an enforcer and try to live out his dreams of playing in the NHL.
The moment he thinks about the risks of head trauma is the moment he does not fight the same way anymore. It is the moment his entire game changes and in his mind, he is less valuable to his team. It is the way that the former Niagara University player has thought about the sport of hockey since he was playing juniors with the Austin Bruins.
Advertisement
"In that position you can't think about that stuff because honestly it'll mess with you," Mylymok said. "It'll affect you, it'll change the way you fight, change the way you play. At the end of the day I know what I signed up for. … I want to go out there and play to my best and I just want to play with a free and open mind."
During his one season as a Niagara Purple Eagle, Mylymok had 61 penalty minutes in 37 games with 11 points. He left the school after one year because he knew what his role would be in professional hockey. He also felt like he was building a reputation among the referees and was being more closely monitored by them than other players.
He left to try to start building his career in professional hockey and figuring out how to find his way as a fighter in the professional hockey ranks. He knew he was not going to be a goal scorer or skill player and that instead, if he was going to make it in pro hockey, he was going to have to play the role he is playing: a fighter and a guy who stands up for his teammates when needed.
That mindset and understanding of his role has led to him doing something he has never done before: sign an NHL contract. On July 1, Mylymok signed a one-year, two-way, $850,000 deal with the Chicago Blackhawks .
Advertisement
"Just coming in … there was really no toughness throughout the entire organization through the NHL and AHL and our GM Mark Bernard brought in me and another guy to kind of fill that void," Mylymok said. "… I just know that there's been a void missing within the organization and it made sense to stick around and keep filling that void and keep working my way up."
When the season starts, he will be going to the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, for the second consecutive season.
Last season, Mylymok played in 52 games for the IceHogs, scoring three goals and adding seven assists for 10 points while adding 204 penalty minutes. During his career playing in 111 games at the ECHL and AHL levels, he has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points with 333 penalty minutes.
During his time with the Icehogs, he felt like he was playing freely and the coaches let him play his game without restrictions. It is part of the reason he wanted to come back to Rockford for another season. He knew that he was comfortable with his surroundings and would be able to play his game while trying to get the call-up to the NHL.
Advertisement
On Oct. 12, Mylymok scored a goal against the Iowa Wild to give him his first-ever AHL goal. He finished that game with one goal and one assist. It was a moment that meant a lot to him because in that game, his teammates and fellow fourth liners Dillon Boucher and Jamie Engelbert also scored their first career AHL goals.
"For me to get that one as well and for all three of us to have a goal …, it was really special," Mylymok said. "You don't really see that from a fourth line, especially when it's a line full of role players to add onto the score sheet together in a game. So that's what I remember most is the fourth line all tallying and adding to the scoresheet."
The 2025-26 season was Mylymok's first of his career spent entirely in the AHL, something that he is incredibly proud of. He had previously spent time in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads and the Rapid City Rush.
When he was playing for the Steelheads, it meant he was joining the team where his father, Jeremy, made his name. It was a place where Mylymok has fond memories of growing up learning the game from his father, who spent six years playing.
Advertisement
Mylymok and his father are not the only ones who have played professional hockey, as his brother Luke, who also played at Niagara, is in the midst of his own professional hockey career.
Throughout his three professional seasons, Mylymok has been able to rely on his father for advice as he has navigated playing in the AHL and ECHL. He has been able to come to his dad for help when he needs to while he tries to follow in his father's footsteps.
Now that he is signed for another season in Rockford, Mylymok's biggest goal is simple: make it to the NHL. He wants to be the first Purple Eagle alumni to play in the NHL since Sean Bentivoglio played one game for the New York Islanders in the 2008-09 season.
"I just want to keep that going into next year and add in a little more on the skill side of the game but keep really up the physicality part and the fighting part, keep that going strong," Mylymok said. "But my goal is honestly just to go in better than I finished last year and keep improving each and every weekend and obviously hope to earn that call-up at some point."
