What to make of Canucks prospect Tom Willander's NCAA start
It has only been a month since Tom Willander started his NCAA career with Boston University. However, that doesn’t mean a metaphorical magnifying glass has not been trained directly at the Vancouver Canucks’ most recent first-round pick, who has five points through his first nine games.
While there are some misconceptions that the Massachusetts-based university isn’t utilizing the 6-foot-1, right-shot defender, it just isn’t reality. Averaging 20:05 TOI across the season, Willander, up until recently, has been a mainstay penalty killer for the Terriers, even seeing some modest power-play minutes. Willander, in actuality, only plays less than NCAA star Lane Hutson, team captain Case McCarthy, and presumptive 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
With a significant sample of games on the small ice surface, handling top NCAA competition, from teams in the Hockey East division to standout programs like the University of North Dakota, we have enough to dive into the Swedish defender’s game and evaluate his foray into the North American game.
Where Willander is excelling
The single most proficient area of Willander’s performances this fall has been centred around his defence of the rush. This isn’t necessarily a surprise, considering his mobility and motor — how active he plays — were some of the standout aspects of his game in his draft season.
Despite making a few late reads, Willander’s ability to cut off his edges, close space, and hold his ground to protect the inside lane has been nothing short of stifling across his minutes. He races to push proactive contact, stiff-arms opponents, and reaches in with his stick, chewing up the runway until the puck carrier is driven into the boards.
When he has time to prepare and gap, the Swede has been relatively aggressive, stepping up into the neutral zone and his own defensive blue line to knock pucks away, disrupt entries, and force bad decisions. Even in scenarios where he has to collapse, Willander is clogging pass lanes, reactively getting his stick into the release of shots, and timing poke-check swings.
In the face of more sustained pressure, Willander is more of a disruptor than a proactive play reader. Locked to the net front, you will see stick clamps, lifts, physical boxouts, aggressive pushes at puck carriers, and many activations into board seal attempts.
Nevertheless, this leads to a critical discussion centred around Willander’s defensive IQ. While this was very much the case in his draft season, it’s important to note that while the Canucks prospect has many positive, drilled-down habits and possesses the tools to disrupt play at a high level, he is not necessarily an extraordinary defensive mind. His most extensive breakdowns are usually due to reactiveness, puck-watching, and missed reads. He’s more toolsy than cerebral.
Willander doesn’t necessarily let mistakes compound; in fact, he recovers most of the time, but he’s susceptible to the occasional initial breakdown, which is dangerous in itself. These can lead to goals quickly at the NHL level.
Regardless, the defensive projection to the NHL level is still clear as day — just expect more stops because of his physical tools rather than straight-up outthinking opponents.
Offensive potential discussion
On the flip side, Willander’s offensive game has been hit-and-miss. He has never been a prolific point-producer from the backend, but his mobility and some really dynamic flashes in his draft season showed that there is some room for growth. This season, he’s been a relatively basic offensive player.
Most of Willander’s offence has been created through his breakout passing. He lobs absolute rockets cross-rink and has sent in forwards in off the rush multiple times this season. Working in motion, he opens new seams up, hits his teammates in stride, and can really stretch the puck off the boards.
Board-to-middle puck movement dominates Willander’s play with the puck on the blue line. He’s straightforward, barely leveraging his mobility advantages. The Boston University defender mainly feathers pucks on the net, looking for redirections and rebound chances. While he’s been unlucky with what he’s created in these scenarios, there’s nothing overly complex or dynamic off most of his puck touches.
It’s not like his game lacks lateral movement, activation, and manipulation; it’s just been rarer across his minutes than you would like to see. He must start moving out of his comfort zone if this is an area where he wants some translation to the NHL game.
How puck-handling is holding Willander back
That all being said, his puck-handling is probably an area that is holding him back from more dynamic play with the puck.
In short, his hands have been rough in both small and large-ice scenarios. He’s struggled with control, taking clean pass receptions, and protection. One of the telling signs is a bit of tunnel vision when he carries the puck from north to south, along with some pretty brutal bobbles in scenarios devoid of pressure. Stripping everything down, he looks uncomfortable.
This has been the most punishing on his puck retrievals. While under forechecking pressure, in small space, Willander has looked disjointed, making panic ejections, often handcuffing his supporters with passes out of the pressure.
Many Swedish defenders in recent drafts have had issues with the North American forecheck– Victor Söderström, a top-1o pick for the Arizona Coyotes, is an example. Larger ice surfaces mean more room and time to operate — great for players with mobility. The NHL, on the other hand, offers even less time than the NCAA game.
What does this mean for his future?
At the end of the day, Willander has only played a quarter of the NCAA schedule. Development over the season is almost guaranteed. He’s been fairly effective.
There is much to be excited about in the first-round pick’s game, especially regarding his mobility and how he leverages it to defend. The tools also mean that there is a significant opportunity for Willander to grow as a player. Look at him like a lump of premium clay — it will be up to the Canucks development staff to unlock the potential from this point on. One of their most important tasks to date.
Regardless, the NCAA experiment has gone relatively well, but don’t be shocked if he returns to Terriers for a sophomore season. There is really no point in rushing a player so critical to the organization’s future.
Follow Channels and Categories