Mikyla Grant-Mentis
Born (1998-07-15) July 15, 1998
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
PWHL team
Former teams		 PWHL Ottawa
Buffalo Beauts
Toronto Six
Merrimack Warriors
Playing career 2016–present

Mikyla Grant-Mentis (born July 15, 1998) is a Canadian ice hockey forward, currently playing with Ottawa of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She is the all-time leading scorer of the Merrimack Warriors women's ice hockey team. In 2021, she became the first Black player to win the PHF's Most Valuable Player award.[1]

Playing career

Grant-Mentis played four years of NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Merrimack Warriors of Merrimack College, a member institution of the Hockey East conference, located in North Andover, Massachusetts. On November 8 of her senior season, she had a four-point (two goals, two assists) game against Maine, becoming just the second player to surpass 100 points in Merrimack program history.[2] She went on to score a hat-trick against Brown three weeks later and was recognized as the Hockey East Co-Player of the Month for November 2020.[3] Her season totals distinguished her as the Warriors' leader in goals (20) and points (33), ranking second on the Hockey East goals leaderboard and top-10 in scoring nationally. In total, she scored 117 points (56 goals and 61 assists) in 137 games with the Warriors and is the program's all-time leading point scorer, all-time assists leader, and second all-time in goals.[4]

Professional

At the end of February 2020, Grant-Mentis signed with the Buffalo Beauts to finish the 2019–20 NWHL season along with Merrimack teammate Léa-Kristine Demers.[5] She scored three points (2 goal, 1 assist) in two regular season games and added another two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in the PHF playoffs semi-final qualification as the Beauts lost to the Connecticut Whale. She was named Player of the Week in her first week in the PHF.[6]

In May 2020, she signed with the Toronto Six, joining the team ahead of their first season in the PHF.[7] Her first PHF goal as a member of the Six took place in a January 24, 2021, contest versus the 2019 Clarkson Cup champion Minnesota Whitecaps.[8] A 6–5 shootout loss, Grant-Mentis became the only Six player to score in the shootout round. She recorded the game-winning goal in the Six's first win in franchise history against the Boston Pride on January 26, coming back from a 1–0 deficit with a pair of third period goals by Brooke Boquist and Grant-Mentis.[9] She become the most decorated player in a single PHF season, earning a record four accolades, including the first black player in league history to win the Most Valuable Player and Newcomer of the Year Award.[10] Additionally, she was the leading scorer on the Six, which won the regular season title, and was tied as the league-leading scorer.

On May 9, 2022, Grant-Mentis signed a 1 year, $80 000 deal to return to the Buffalo Beauts.[11] This deal made her to highest paid player in PHF history.[12]

Personal life

Grant-Mentis was born July 15, 1998, in Brampton, Ontario. She is the daughter of Sandra Grant-Mentis and James Mentis. Her father played ball hockey with Team Canada and Team West Indies, and remains active with the Brampton Express of the Greater Toronto Ball Hockey League.[13][14] She has two siblings, Marquis and Tre.[15]

Grant-Mentis holds a bachelor's degree in criminology from Merrimack College.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2016–17Merrimack WarriorsNCAA 359182720 –––––
2017–18Merrimack WarriorsNCAA 341582343 –––––
2018–19Merrimack WarriorsNCAA 3512223729 –––––
2019–20Merrimack WarriorsNCAA 3320133326 –––––
2019–20Buffalo BeautsPHF 22132 11120
2020–21 Toronto Six PHF 6 5 4 9 4 1 1 1 1 0
2021–22 Toronto Six PHF 19 13 17 30 6 1 0 0 0 2
2022–23Buffalo BeautsPHF 249122120 –––––
PHF totals 5129346332 32242

Sources: Elite Prospects,[17] USCHO[18]

Awards and honours

  • 2021 NWHL Most Valuable Player[19]
  • 2021 NWHL Newcomer of the Year
  • 2021 NWHL Foundation Award (Toronto Six representative)[20]
  • 2021 NWHL Fans' Three Stars[20]
  • 2020–21 NWHL most goals scored[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Toronto's Mikyla Grant-Mentis named MVP at 2021 NWHL Awards". sportsnet.ca. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  2. ↑ "College Hockey: Grant-Mentis sets new program points record for Merrimack women". The Eagle-Tribune. February 8, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Grant-Mentis and Vanišová Named Co-Player of the Month for November". Hockey East. December 5, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ Connolly, John (February 24, 2020). "Mikyla Grant-Mentis shines for Merrimack". Boston Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  5. ↑ Oliver, Nathaniel (February 27, 2020). "Buffalo Beauts Ink Two Merrimack Stars in Time for Playoffs". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Mike (March 3, 2020). "NWHL Goal of the Week: Welcome to the show, Mikyla Grant-Mentis". The Ice Garden. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ Levine, Justin (May 18, 2020). "Toronto Begins Busy Day With Signing Of Forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis". The Puck Authority. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Away Whitecaps vs Home Toronto Jan 24, 2021 at 1:00pm EST at: Herb Brooks Arena - 6 – 5 FINAL SO". March 3, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Away Toronto vs Home Pride Jan 26, 2021 at 8:30pm EST: Herb Brooks Arena 2 – 1 FINAL". nwhl.zone. January 26, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ Kevin McGran (April 30, 2021). "From the rink to the food bank, Toronto Six star Mikyla Grant-Mentis is making a difference". thestar.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  11. ↑ "News: Reigning League MVP Grant-Mentis Joins Beauts - Buffalo Beauts". beauts.premierhockeyfederation.com. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ Kennedy, Ian. "Mikyla Grant-Mentis signs largest contract in women's hockey history". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Honoring the Sport History". National Ball Hockey Association of Canada. October 3, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Stats: James Mentis". Greater Toronto Ball Hockey League. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ "2019-20 Merrimack College Women's Ice Hockey Roster: Mikyla Grant-Mentis". Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Merrimack Hockey Player Accomplishing Goals On and Off the Ice". Merrimack College Office of Communications. March 12, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Player Profile: Mikyla Grant-Mentis". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Mikyla Grant-Mentis: Career Statistics". United States College Hockey Online. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Toronto Six forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis named National Women's Hockey League MVP". thestar.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  20. 1 2 Paul Krotz (April 28, 2021). "NWHL ANNOUNCES 2021 AWARD RECIPIENTS". NWHL. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Stats 2020–21". nwhl.zone. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
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