Welcome back to CanucksArmy’s top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings. Today, we delve into our second-highest-ranked prospect and the team’s highest-pedigreed drafted defenceman since Quinn Hughes.
Tom Willander
Team: Boston University | Age: 19 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 191 lbs | Shoots: Right
Unless they are skilled enough to take on an NHL role out the gate, it’s typical practice for Swedish-drafted prospects to stay put and proceed with their development from home. Willander, however, chose a unique path and crossed the pond immediately to take on the NCAA circuit with the Boston University Terriers.
Before we dive into his transition, it’s important to note the challenges and adaptations attached as a young prospect, especially in the beginning.
Firstly, there is the level of competition. The collegiate level is much more competitive than most tend to give credit for, and at any given time, he could be facing a rugged 25-year-old’s forecheck.
At first glance, if you look Willander’s prospect pages, it may look like he has played two games at the SHL level. However, he failed to see the ice in either of those games, making his freshman year in the NCAA the first time he had competed amongst grown men firsthand in his young career – second if you count the limited minutes played in a single Allsvenskan match during the 2021-22 season.
Secondly, and probably the most obvious, is the ice surface and overall speed of play. The dimensions in North America are much smaller, resulting in much less time to think the game, directly affecting defenders’ transition work – which had already been an area of need in his development.
The speed, timing, and competitiveness were all brand new for the (at the time) 18-year-old.
“I think a lot of it was specifically the stuff that’s different from playing the North American way than the European way,” Willander told us at Development Camp. “ Just the quickness in the game and how fast we want to transition and do stuff.”
With all this in mind, we feel that it’s safe to call his freshman year a success. While it was by no means a Picasso, there was a lot to take away and work on for the upcoming sophomore year.
The buzz grew incredibly strong after his debut match, where he tallied a goal and an assist to kickstart his collegiate career at a two-point-per-game clip. That was short-lived, however, as his numbers naturally tamed themselves as the year progressed. Through 38 total games, he finished with four goals and 25 points. While those numbers are not dominant, they were good enough for a third-place finish amongst U19 defenders nationwide.
Those numbers were also done while sitting shotgun to Lane Hutson, who took most of the high-leverage minutes away from any defender on BU. Willander did enjoy secondary power play time, but by the time the first unit was finished with their shift, the penalty was either over, or they had already scored. The Swedish defender was gifted stints alongside Hutson throughout the year, but the pair could not find a groove together.
The Canucks’ product finished averaging a pinch above 20 minutes per game while skating amongst the top-four and penalty-killing units.
In addition to his offensive numbers, we were drawn to his plus/minus. With a plus-28 on the year, he finished with the fourth-highest rating amongst all defenders in the nation and eighth amongst all skaters. Say what you will about the statistic, but considering his lack of power play point totals, that’s a nice representation of his two-way ability. He also finished fourth on the team with 36 blocked shots.
While BU fell short in the Frozen Four Tournament, losing in the Semifinals, Willander did earn some personal accolades. He was named to Hockey East Second All-Star Team, as well as a New England D1 All-Star.
Midway through the year, he brought his talents to the world stage, where he suited up for Team Sweden at the World Junior Championship. There, he contributed a goal and two assists en route to earning a Silver Medal in front of his home country. He carried over that strong plus/minus to finish with the third-highest tournament-wide at plus-9.
When watching him play, it’s easy to pinpoint what makes him such an intriguing prospect. Aside from playing a premium position as a right-shot defender, he’s an incredibly fluid and effective skater. Capable in all four directions, you won’t find many prospects with his elite skating.
He combines that with an incredibly aggressive brand. He closes gaps on a dime, and whether he’s using his body or an active stick, very rarely allows his opponents to get the inside track. Even if they do manage to beat him in a skating battle, he’s typically able to propel them to the outside and keep them at bay.
The issues begin to arise in transition and with the puck on his stick. His puck-moving ability needs work, and his decision-making with that puck needs it even more. It’s not that he’s poor in either, per se, but considering his pedigree as a high-ranked prospect, we would have hoped it was slightly more affective.
Of course, these kinks are where the adjustment as a freshman-year Swede come in. With much less time to make his decisions than he would typically be used to, he tended to bobble the puck, which resulted in poor decisions and unnecessary turnovers. However, with the Canucks’ development staff taking a hands-on approach to his development, it’s something that we hope he can put together in short order.
“We’ve been really impressed with Tom,” said Mike Komisarek, who was in continuous connection with Willander last season. “Extremely competitive kid, moves so well. The stuff with the puck is world class.”
His offensive production was a well-known area in his game that required work, and one of the major reasons why he dropped to the Canucks at the 2023 entry draft. Considering his high-level skating ability, we would like to see a little more substance in the offensive department moving forward.
Luckily, there is a direct pathway for him to add that to his game in the upcoming year. Lane Hutson, BU’s golden child on the backend, has officially turned pro, which leaves a gaping hole for Tom to fill. Unless another defender comes out of the woodwork, the keys should be handed to the Canucks’ prospect, and that means top-line everything — including one of the nation’s more potent power plays.
Overall, this is an incredibly skilled prospect, and even without adding a huge offensive pedigree, we do expect him to carve out an NHL role. After all, smooth-skating right-shot shutdown defenders do not grow on trees. Adding some more tools to his kit simply improves his stock as a top-four-bound prospect.
Ceiling: Given the skating and incredibly aggressive demeanour, he’s got what it takes to be a top-pairing defender. As mentioned, the offensive components aren’t quite up to snuff, so the package may not come with a huge offensive ceiling, but could evolve into a solid complementary piece to Quinn Hughes.
Floor: Even without any added offensive flair, we still see him as a valuable shutdown defender who can man your penalty-killing units and make nights hard for opponents. With that in mind, we picture a relatively high floor as a bottom-pairing defender in the NHL. He’ll play for the Vancouver Canucks; it’s just a matter of in what capacity.
ETA: The 2024-25 season will be crucial, ultimately deciding his pathway. He’ll be handed the reins at BU, and if he can take that next step in his game, there is no reason to think they cannot sign the papers and turn pro by springtime. This regime has proven its willingness to stay patient, however, and if there’s still work to be done, they will not rush him back. We could see him getting NHL games by season’s end and competing for a spot out of training camp by 2025-26.
