mintusaurus

A Day in the Life: Wladyslaw Mintus – Houston Bulls (D) Elvira Walburg It’s a Tuesday morning at 9am on a game day and I am knocking on the door of Wladyslaw Mintus’ apartment to see how he spends the day before a game. EW: Good morning, Wladyslaw. Sorry to barge in this early in the morning, but hey, I’ve brought Donuts! WM: Good morning, Elvira, please come on in. It is no trouble at all, I am happy to do it. Donuts?! Thank you (smiling). Do we have any apple cinnamon? Wlad is ok, by the way. EW: We certainly do, Wlad. Where should I put these down? WM: In here will be fine [gesturing to the kitchen/dining room]. I figured we could start the grand tour here too. EW: Excellent, that sounds great. WM: This is the kitchen/dining room, obviously, since I just said that. I like to eat as healthy as I can during the season. So I am in here either making Chicken or Fish for dinner during most of the season. In fact, I was just about to make breakfast. Can I interest you in some eggs? EW: Actually that does sound good, I will take some if you are offering. WM: Coming right up. After we eat breakfast Wlad talks about growing up outside of Detroit and his childhood. He is affable and humorous. We finish eating and the tour continues. WM: Here is the living room, as you can tell by the lack of furniture, I am still getting settled in. EW: You have the important things, a couch and a TV. I’d say you are all set, just kidding. WM: Then down through this hall there are some closets, the main bathroom, and the bedroom. Nothing too fancy to look at, but it gets the job done. What time is it? I let him know that the time is coming up on 11am. WM: Since we are done here, it is about time I get ready and head to the rink for the afternoon skate. We load into Wlad’s car and get going to the rink. It’s about 30 minutes from Wlad’s home. WM: So on game days, we have an afternoon skate, depending on game time of course. If its an evening game, then it's an afternoon skate. Usually we run through warm ups, and cardio and some passing drills. The goalies get some work in. After the ice, some of the guys will hit the gym a little extra before heading home.I got in a good workout last night, so once the skate is done, I will probably cool down on the bike for 20 minutes and then get out of here. EW: I am going to let you get on with your game-day after the skate, so I just wanted to thank you for a great morning and a sneak peak into your daily life. If you could real quick, sum up the rest of your day for the readers? WM: So after the skate I’ll come back home, probably chill out playing some video games, take a quick power nap, grab something to eat and then head off to the rink again about an hour and a half before puck drop. Thank you for the opportunity, I had a fun day today too EW: Thanks again, Wlad. Have a great game tonight. WM: Thank you.

An honor!

New Team Same Game by Eliseo Eppolito EE: Wladyslaw, thank you for taking the time to talk to me today here in Houston. WM: Eliseo, the pleasure is all mine. You can call me Wlad if you’d like. Most do, haha. EE: Well, Wlad, how do you feel that you are back state-side after playing last season in Mississauga Ontario for the Mississauga Hounds? WM: First, let me start by saying how much I enjoyed my time in Mississauga. The city was great, the fans were amazing, and my teammates were incredibly welcoming and kind. I learned a lot from my time there. But I am happy to be state-side again. It’s great here in Houston. Actually, Did you know, I almost was a Houstonian. EE: Oh really? How is that? WM: Well both of my parents worked down here after they graduated college. They had taken jobs at NASA, but they moved back to Detroit when my Mom got pregnant, so that we would be closer to family. I remember going on a trip down there when I was a kid. We met all of my mom and dads old friends. Got some sweet NASA patches. EE: Sounds like you have some smart parents, working at NASA?! WM: They are very smart, and some of the nicest people I know. They have always been so supportive of my Sister and I. EE: So how are you getting along down here with the new team? WM: Well Eliseo, it’s a new team, but it’s the same game. We all know how to play the game, and now it’s how everyone meshes together, and finding the right chemistry. EE: And how is that going? WM: It’s going really well. You know I think we have a real tough line when we go out there. Not afraid to throw our weight around and get into the corners. Billy Joel ( @The goat of hockey ) has been particularly great as a defensive partner. He and I always seem to be on the same wavelength. We cover each other's backs, and tend to know where the other one is/is going to be on the ice. EE: It sounds like you are getting up to speed with the team quickly! What about outside of the rink? Have you adjusted to the City? WM: That is still a work in progress. On days off I’ll sometimes just wander around my apartment. Just pick a direction and kinda walk that way for a while and see what there is. Other times some of the guys and I will go out golfing, or out to dinner. So I am getting the lay of the land, somewhat. But for right now, I am concentrating on the hockey. The city will come with time. @AJW has been a great GM too. He wants his guys to grow. EE: I can certainly understand that. Well, Wlad, I can’t thank you enough for meeting with me today, and I look forward to watching you the rest of this season with the Houston Bulls. WM: Thank you. Please let me know if you need another interviewee. This was fun.

1. This week kicks off the start of the regular season with games beginning on Wednesday March 20th. What are you most excited about for this upcoming season? I think I am most excited to start seeing the team produce and where we can go. 2. Billy Joel @The goat of hockey, Filip Zinek @FiZi, Wladyslaw Mintus @mintusaurus and Cole Stermer @Bazeus join Houston after being drafted to the team! After completing the draft, how do you think our roster looks? (Click me to view roster) It looks fantastic. Got a lot of people who can produce. Lets get it cookin' 3. With everyone on our team currently being an S93 player, which VHL and VHLE teams did you get drafted to? What is something you like about your future teams? Looks like I got drafted by the Storm in the VHLE and the Wranglers in the VHL. I like bthanks oth teams from what I have seen so far. Both high compete and seem to know what they are doing. 4. In the VHLM 2 games are simmed each day per team, meaning that in only 5 days we will have played 10 games! What do you predict our record will be after 10 games played? I reckon that we could be sitting at 6-3-1 5. The spring weather is coming and I am so happy to finally say goodbye to the snow! What activities/hobbies do you like to do in the spring? For me I like to start biking and roller blading more when the sun pokes out. I like to miss the snow. Take my dog around on walks. Get some golf, or disc golf in. Riding my bike around the neighborhood. Grilling. All the usual activities. Also, playoff hockey starts soon. 6. Welcome to S93 with the Houston Bulls. I'm pumped to get this season started! In 1-5 words, say anything to get fired up for the season to start, here's mine: "GO BULLS GO!" "Houston, we have Launch!"

Wladyslaw Mintus +10

SportsTime Media Interview with Wladyslaw Mintus RE: JST By Eryka Delaney Hello VHL fans! We were able to have a minute with rookie Defensemen, Wladyslaw Mintus, at the JST. Here is what we talked about. ED: Wladyslaw, thank you for sitting with me today. WM: Of Course! And please, call me Wlad. ED: How did you feel after being picked to play in the JST this off-season? WM: It was such an honor. So many great hockey players come out of this tournament, so I am excited to get to know some of the other greats in the league. ED: How is it in the locker room with everyone? What kind of atmosphere is it? WM: Everyone has been great. There is a Lot of change going on in these guys' lives right now, and it's great that teammates can help bring you back down into orbit. Everyone here knows what this could mean for their careers, and they know what they have to do to succeed. Right now, we are working on being a team. Everyone brings their A game. ED: So the JST works as a platform for young prospects to show the rest of the leagues what they can do come draft time. What are you hoping to make out of this tournament? WM: Honestly, I just want to have fun with these good people. I wanna play like we would back on the pond. It kind of feels like one of those tournaments that you would have during a hockey camp in the summer off-season. I used to love that part of the summer. I am hoping to make connections with people from other clubs, find some new friends around the league. ED: And what is your mentality, going into the tournament? WM: Just to get out there and have fun with whomever I am skating with. My game will find me. Just kind of treat it like a backyard game, and I’ll connect with the right people. Editor's Note: He had to run to a team meeting and asked if we could finish the next day. — The Next Day — ED: Thank you for meeting back up with us, but it also gave us enough time to wait to be able to say, Congratulations on being drafted 37th by the Calgary Wranglers! WM: Thank you, so much, I am so excited to play with these guys, if not just to learn how to play like these guys. I am really looking forward to cracking that lineup. ED: What is the mindset in the Brigade locker room right now? WM: Well everyone is really excited. It’s a combination of what the future holds, and enjoying your time in the present, and that makes these games particularly fun to play in. We all have the mindset of just to keep doing what we are doing, and hope we continue to move through as we do. ED: Is there anything else you wanted to say before we run out of time? WM: Let’s Go Brigade! I’ll give it all I can. Afterwards, Let’s Get Wranglin’! ED: Thanks, Wlad! Enjoy the rest of the tournament!

End of the VHLM season Interview By Kord Daube We caught up with Wladyslaw Mintus after his first VHLM season before he heads out to the Junior Showcase Tournament. KD: Hi, Wladyslaw, it’s nice to speak with you, how are you doing? WM: Hi, Kord, please call me Wlad. It is great to sit down with you too, I am doing well, excited for the JST. How are you doing? KD: Okay, Wlad, I am doing well too, thanks for asking. So this past season was your first in the VHLM. How did you like it? WM: I thought it was great. It took a little bit of time to get used to the pace of the game, but my teammates and coaches really helped me to get on the level. KD: It certainly seems like you were able to get on the level pretty well as a puck moving defensemen, with a stat line of 9 goals and 31 assists for 40 points in 60 games. WM: Was that my stat line? I usually am not paying much attention to that. I just like to go out there and play my best to try and help the team win. If I happen to get some points, that is good too. KD: 6 of your 9 goals were on the Power Play, can you speak on that? WM: I like to play on the Power Play lines, and coach must see something there. I couldn’t have scored those goals without the help of my teammates though. The wingers digging in the corners and screening the goalie all worked together to put those pucks in the back of the net. KD: The Hounds didn’t make the playoffs this season, how are you feeling about that? WM: Well, it hurts, but at the same point, I am getting paid to do something that I love. It’s my first season in, so it’s not something I necessarily expected. I would’ve loved for it to happen but it is what it is. We didn’t make it this year, but we’ll all train in the off season, and see if any moves happen to make us stronger and we’ll come back next season with a fire in our bellies. KD: Well said. What is next for you, Wlad? WM: As you said earlier, I was picked to join the JST this year, so that is the next thing on my agenda. After the tournament, I will probably go back home to Detroit and see family and friends. Get some training in at my local rink and drop in on some of my old teammates and see how they are doing. After that, I’ll get back to Mississauga and back into daily training and working out and getting ready for the next season. KD: There have been some rumors about you being drafted up to the VHL, what can you say about that? WM: I have spoken with some teams that may be interested in picking me up in the draft. If it happens, it will be very exciting, but if it doesn’t, I am not worried. It just gives me more time to hone my skills and prepare for when it does happen. KD: That is a great way to look at it. Well I know you need to get going to get to the JST, so I will let you go and prep. Thank you again for speaking with me today, and good luck! WM: Thank you, Kord. I appreciate the time talking with you. Have a great rest of your day.

VHLM Rookie Gives Back to the Community Mintusaurus – February 8, 2024 Wladyslaw Mintus sat with the team of Pediatric Cardiology doctors and nurses at Mississauga Hospital, talking about the challenges he faced as a kid who was born with heart issues. He talked with them about his childhood surgeries, the fears he had been concerned about, and difficulty he experienced physically and mentally in pursuing his hockey career. Wladyslaw was born with a congenital heart defect, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), in layman's terms, a hole in his heart. While common, it was big enough that it warranted open heart surgery in order to close the hole. While treating the hole, they also found a valve with a small leak, which they addressed in a later surgery. He healed well after his surgeries and doctors found no reason to restrict his activities, telling his parents that he can set his own limits. If he feels bad, stop and tell his parents. As Wlad grew he began to understand more of what had happened to him when he was young. Incredibly appreciative of the care he got when he was younger, and had always wanted to give back in some way. That brings us to today. Wladyslaw, after meeting with the care teams, went to the pediatric cardiology unit and met with the patients there. One of the pediatric nurses told us that, “It was great to meet him, but it was even better watching him interact with the young kids. To show them that they could have a normal life and that they are not “different” than the other kids, meant the world to them.” Wladyslaw brought with him team Jerseys and hats to the kids. He was also goaded into a mini Chel tournament with the kids. “He held his own, but let's just say, his skills on the ice don’t translate to the virtual world,” said Xavier, the winner of the improvised tournament. He also had another surprise in store, tickets. He gave a stack of tickets for the kids and pediatric cardiology team to a suite at the next home game, where they will be his guests for the game and will give the kids a tour of the facilities and a meet and greet with the rest of the team before the game. Talking with me after the visit, Mintus said, “I just wanted to give a little something back. Growing up in this sort of situation, I know how it can feel being in the hospital for periods of time. Anything I can do to provide a respite from the poking and testing that goes on daily, is something that brings not only myself joy, but hopefully joy to those that need it.” His parents said of him, “that even when he was in the hospital, he would try to cheer up the other patients around him. That was just the type of person that he was.” Mintus says that he owes it all to his parents, who he said instilled these traits within him when he was a boy. He is looking forward to hopefully spending more time with the kids at the hospital in the future.

Wldayslaw Mintus was born on the outskirts of Detroit Michigan in 2005. He was named after his Grandfather's brother on his Dad’s side of the family, which was heavily Polish. When he was an infant he went through several open heart surgeries to fix a congenital heart defect. He was in and out of the hospital in those infancy years, but came out on top, and was able to go on living a normal life. During the winter months when he was in elementary school, Mintus and his friends would go out on the lake in their subdivision and clear off a rink, where they would play until dark on most days. His parents saw how much fun he was having out on the ice, so when Wlad asked them if he could join a hockey learn to play clinic, they said that he could. He joined the Little Caesars Hockey clinic when he was 10, and started to learn more about playing the sport of hockey. After his 10-week clinic, he was excited to continue playing the game. He joined up with a Little Caesars PeeWee house team when the next registration came about. By this time he had really shown an interest in the defensive aspects of the game. Defense was always a position that he enjoyed playing on the lake and he idolized Elite Swedish defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom, from his hometown Detroit Redwings. He was also very aware of Jiri Fischer of Detroit, who had collapsed and had a heart attack on the bench during a game, which was linked to heart issues. He too was a defenseman, and with both Fischer and himself having heart issues, it helped to link him to the position. After excelling in the PeeWee house league, his coaches encouraged him to join the Little Caesars 14U Bantam travel team. It was a change of pace for Wlad, in a big way. The players on these teams were faster and more skilled, so he needed to adapt. He started practicing more in his free time outside of the rink. Outside of the Winter months, he played street hockey with his friends, and joined inline hockey leagues. During the Winter, he convinced his dad to let him flood the backyard so that he could make a rink. He also joined up with some of his friends and teammates and started to play pond hockey tournaments around the state. His efforts paid off and he was invited to try out for the 16U Midget Minor AAA Little Caesars team. Unfortunately he did not make the team. The coach of the 15 year old Midget AAA team thought that he could do well and increase his skill set and help the team at the same time. So after talking with Wlad he was able to convince him to suit up for that team for the season with hopes of joining the 16U team the following season. He had a strong season on the Midget team and greatly increased his defensive skills and started to add some offense to his game. He had an admiral shot from the point, and was a quarterback on the teams PP1 line, with his passing abilities and offensive zone awareness. The following year, he made the 16U team and showed a lot of prowess with his defensive game. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed by the US National Development Team Program. After he impressed his coaches on the Midget team, one of them floated his name to some connections he had at USA Hockey. After a successful campaign with Little Caesars 16U AAA team, which saw the team win the Michigan State championship in the 16U league. They went on to play in the USA Hockey National Championship Tournament, where they unfortunately came in 2nd place. Wlad put up 2G 3A for 5 points in 6 games in the tournament. In the off-season Wlad was approached by the USNDTP and was invited to join the U17 team. With the USNDTP Wlad was able to access skills and training he hadn’t before. He began working with a nutritionist and personal trainer. He gained muscle and was able to increase his stamina. His defensive game increased and his Hockey IQ began to shine. In the offensive zone his awareness became more astute and he began using methods of his Idol, Lidstrom. He would take a slapshot just off to the side of the net, playing it off the boards for a winger down low. He would end his first season with the USNDTP with a stat line of 5G 10A in 35 games and being a +4. The next season he would return to the USNDTP, this time on the U18 team. During his last season with the team, he led the defense with 8G and 18A for 26 points in 35 games. The team would also win Silver at the U18 World Championships, where Wlad would put up 3G and 7A for 10 points. After a successful Minor League career, Wladyslaw looked to go pro, and announced he was joining the VHLM. He was scooped up by the Mississauga Hounds in the 92nd season, where so far he has put up 1G and 14A in 30 games. So far he is enjoying his time with the Hounds and is renting a place in the Downtown City Centre.

Thanks, Bud! I had some fun with it.

Local Media Interview with Wladyslaw Mintus Q: Hi Wladyslaw, thank you for taking the time to sit with us today. I'll jump right into it. How do you find yourself after playing your first few games of your rookie campaign? A: Of course, happy to do it, and please, call me Wlad. You know, I had butterflies the whole day before my first game. Once I got in the locker room though, everything kind of started to fall in place. The atmosphere was welcoming and it all helped me settle down. Now, after two games under my belt, the jitters are gone. Q: What strengths are you bringing with you to the Mississauga Hounds? A: Well, I think I am somewhat of a big guy, with that, I like to believe I bring a certain grit to the team. I do this by laying the body on my opponents, as well as laying my body down to block shots. I am a defensive minded defensemen, however, I am working on my offensive skills so that I can generate scoring chances while in the offensive zone. Q: You’re originally from the Detroit area of Michigan. How have you been adjusting to life in the Great White North here in Mississauga? A: I love Canada. Growing up just across the Windsor border, Once you turned 19, it was a right of passage to take the Ambassador bridge (or the Tunnel) over the Detroit River and have some drinks. The weather here has been similar to back home. Maybe even a bit warmer. Everybody that I’ve met on the street has been incredibly sincere and nice, and all of them are rooting for the Hounds! Q: Have you gotten up to anything in your free time here? A: While I have had some free time, it has not been often. I’ve been lucky enough to make some friends on the team and they have shown me around the local areas. Showing me some good restaurants and bars to check out. One of the things that I am looking forward to doing is learning how to Curl. It has always been one of my favorite things to watch during the Winter Olympics, so I would love to find a place to do so. Q: Speaking of your teammates, how have you been fitting in with the club and your coaches? A: Everyone has been great, I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. Win or lose we are having a great time. I mean we are living our childhood dreams. But when Coach says it's time to work, the joking around stops and we all get serious. Coach is a great guy, but on the ice, he puts on his work face and expects us to do the same. Off the ice, he acts as a sort of mentor to us younger guys. He’s pretty reserved and is a stickler when it comes to curfews, which at this level, you have to be. Q: And what happens if someone were to break curfew? A: Not that I know from experience, but I’ve seen a few different things. Suicide drills, running the arena stairs, to even team laundry duty. Q: Well, let’s hope you stay on the right side of curfew then, Wlad. Thank you for taking the time to sit with us for a few minutes, and good luck with the rest of the season. A: Thank you, anytime. Have a good rest of the day.

Helluva Sig. Love the Helluvs Boss tie in. Big fan