Canucks: Tom Willander is prudent NHL Draft decide play to enhance defence

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Welcome to Vancouver, Tom Willander.

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We really feel like we already know you. It comes with the territory in a hockey-mad market the place each projection or rejection by way of social media is fodder for excellent debates.

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In any case, at the beginning of the month, Willander was predicted as a potential second-tier choice possibility, if the Vancouver Canucks traded down from their No. 11 choice within the 2023 NHL Draft.

Quick ahead and the right-shot Swedish defenceman shot up the rankings and have become a prudent decide Wednesday as a result of he checks plenty of containers and addresses a dire want to enhance the again finish.

“It’s superb,” stated Willander, who grew up watching and idolizing Henry and Daniel Sedin. “It was once in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. My dad would pull up the laptop computer on the breakfast desk and we’d watch the NHL recaps. I’d at all times be wanting on the Vancouver ones and simply seeing the emblem on the display screen made me type of nostalgic.

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“It’s an enormous factor. Most likely essentially the most dominant of palyers. I at all times appeared as much as this crew. I’m a pushed particular person and need to make this an excellent determination for the Canucks. I’m simply tremendous excited to get began. It marks a brand new second in my life and the most important second I’ve shared with anybody.”

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And though gamers the Canucks coveted in Nate Danielson, Dmitri Simashev and Dalibor Dvorsky, who have been anticipated to presumably be on the board however gone, common supervisor Patrik Allvin was at all times offered on Willander.

“It’s his mobility and skill to defend,” Allvin stated after the decide. “Our scouting workers felt strongly that this fashion the man we wished. It made it fairly easy for us when he was nonetheless there.”

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Which isn’t stunning. Proper-shot defencemen are arduous to search out and develop.

“With parity, it’s mainly a draft and improvement league and also you’ve bought to be good with that and have sufficient good gamers on the roster,” Allvin stated earlier than the draft. “It’s arduous to fill positions, but when we now have an opportunity to choose positional gamers, we’ll look into that.”

“If there’s a defenceman accessible at No. 11, that our guys assume is the most effective participant accessible, we might undoubtedly decide that man.”

And Willander was there Wednesday and is that man who may challenge right into a outstanding NHL function at some point.

“I believe he’s extra of a transitional man. His capability to hitch the push,  and regroup within the impartial zone, is absolutely spectacular in how he sees his choices,” Allvin instructed Sportsnet. “In in the present day’s sport, you want guys who can ship that first cross and it’s an intriguing half with Tom.

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“I may see him being a man who can eat plenty of minutes and play with Quinn Hughes and use in a shutdown function due to the best way he skates and his I.Q. There’s undoubtedly an pleasure from our workers.”

Willander flourished this season with Rogle BK J20 within the Swedish junior ranks and managed 25 factors (4-21) in 39 video games. He additionally performed in two Swedish Hockey League video games with Rogle BK Angelholm, the identical membership that produced Canucks winger Nils Hoglander. He desires to duplicate his sport to reflect the effectiveness of Dallas Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen.

“Now we have related energy in our skating and he’s an important two-way defender, good within the D-zone and isn’t too flashy,” stated Willander. “However he’s very efficient within the offensive facet and that’s my largest weak spot proper now.”

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Nonetheless, Willander’s consolation issue within the second half this season set him as much as rocket up the draft rankings.

“I really feel like I took regular steps,” he instructed Sportnet. “Staying constant and practising was the important thing and round Christmas it exploded. I don’t intend on stopping. I really feel I’ve rather a lot left to offer and coming to North America (NCAA) was a good selection. I need to be anyone who performs a giant function within the sport and the powerful video games.

“I need to be a two-way defender and play plenty of ice time and might be put on the market in any scenario and win championships.”

In Willander’s post-pick media scrum, he stated there’s room for enchancment to get heavier and expertise and that he selected the NCAA route as a result of it’s extra of a improvement league than the SHL. And a powerful second half set him up for that as a result of it was the tip results of coaching and self-discipline.

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“I had a gradual begin and being critical about my apply is the place it took a leap,” he stated. “It’s my love for the game. I’ve at all times felt fairly aggressive, not simply on the ice, however in life and it interprets over to hockey.”

Willander additionally represented his nation on the 2023 Underneath-18 world championship the place he impressed with eight factors (3-5) in seven video games. Within the gold-medal sport, Sweden misplaced 3-2 in extra time to the U.S.

“His development in relation to different gamers has arguably been essentially the most progressive,” stated Jason Bukala, a Sportsnet analyst and former NHL director of beginner scouting. “His skating is elite and he can observe pucks.”

For the Canucks, stocking the prospect cabinets is essential. They might have an excellent defenceman in that different Elias Pettersson, the 2022 third-round choice, however they want extra.

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“With parity, it’s mainly a draft and improvement league and also you’ve bought to be good with that and have sufficient good gamers on the roster,” confused Allvin. “It’s arduous to fill positions, but when we now have an opportunity to choose positional participant, we’ll look into that.”

They usually did. After which got here the plaudits.

“This man is as critical as a coronary heart assault,” praised Sportsnet analyst Sam Cosentino. “He’ll look you within the eye and shake your hand and doesn’t smile very a lot. He’s on path. He’s singularly centered on turning into a greater participant.

“A number of instances while you see Swedish gamers, they keep within the SHL or the (decrease tier) Allsvenskan and grasp on the market for a few years a fulfill some contracts. Not this man. He’s coming over to play school hockey (Boston College) and felt it was greatest for his improvement.

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“It’s not typically you see that occur.”

Added Bukala: “He had a heck of a event in November (Underneath-18) and that’s the place he broke out and dedicated to BU. I instructed him while you get to BU, you’re going to need to play BC (Boston School) in the identical convention towards that huge line from the U.S. Nationwide Growth Staff program.

“He instructed me: ‘Simply come and watch the video games.’ He has elite toes, a two-way sport and his hole management is out of this world.”

The Willander File

Standing: D, shoots proper, 6-foot-1, 180 lbs., Stockholm, Sweden