With the 11th pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks have selected Tom Willander From Rogle BK of the J20 Nationell in Sweden
About Tom Willander
Tom Willander is a steady and smooth right-handed defenseman who spent the last five seasons climbing the Swedish hockey ladder playing for three different organizations (Flemingsberg IK, AIK, and Rogle BK). In the 2022-23 season, Willander played most of the season in Sweden’s J20 division for Rogle BK, scoring 25 points in 39 games. He represented Sweden at the U18 World Championship tournament in April, leading Sweden’s defensemen in ice time and was second among them in scoring with three goals and five assists in seven games. He consistently provided big plays in every zone on Sweden’s path to a silver medal.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
Willander shot up draft boards as the season progressed. His large frame provides a stable presence on the blue line, and doesn’t have any major weaknesses in his game. While none of his skills are considered outstanding, he does do many things very well. This makes Willander a reliable and smart defender who has a great deal of offensive upside.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“While Willander may not be as flashy as Sandin Pelikka, Willander has great patience and puck control, being deceptive at times with his movements. He’s quick to activate and jump into the play and on the cycle in the offensive zone. He possesses strong edges and pivots to evade pressure when dealing with tough situations in tight spaces and usually comes out of them maintaining possession. Given his size, he shields the puck extremely well in order to maintain control, bide some time and spot a passing lane to get a play going.
“Defensively, Willander has great gap control and has the ability to cut off players quickly with his speed. He’s quick at taking away the puck carriers time and space, knowing when to be aggressive and make his move. He’s extremely strong when defending against the rush, using his long reach to break up plays and is strong in one-on-one coverage in front of the net to block forwards out. As a result, he can quickly get the inside edge, regain possession of the puck and quickly transition to offense.
“Willander is a very confident, steady and mobile two-way defender who can do it all in any situation. He’s an extremely effective defender offensively with his vision and mobility and possesses great situational awareness. He knows when to take his chance to jump into the rush and lead an attack without putting his team in a bad spot, while having the mindset to back off and defend against the rush. He displays a great sense of composure and confidence as the situation unfolds and shows no panic to his game on both sides of the puck.
“As he continues to take strides offensively, Willander possesses a well-rounded game that many teams would love to have and build their defense for the future. Since he’s committed to Boston University, that should help with his development and adjustment to the North America ice surface.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Canucks’ Plans
Tom Willander is one of the best two-way defensemen in the draft, and the Canucks should be very happy to get him at this spot and should see him develop into a player that could be a top-four defenseman and a player who can be a major factor at even strength while seeing time on the power play and penalty kill.
