Willander's Vancouver Canucks debut should be coming soon and he could make an immediate impact
Hope is waning right now for the Vancouver Canucks.
They’re currently in a battle with three mediocre hockey teams for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They can’t buy a goal. Their offensive stars just aren’t producing.
And while top prospect Tom Willander isn’t going to step in and provide offence, he does offer this fanbase one thing: hope.
Drafted 11th overall by the Canucks in 2023, Willander is likely just weeks away from making his NHL debut.
Willander’s NCAA season could go as late as April 12, which is the final day of the Frozen Four. However, Boston University isn’t a favourite to advance this season, meaning there’s a good chance his NCAA career is done by the end of March.
That means you can expect the right-shot defenceman to play games for the Canucks in the regular season, which wraps up on April 16.
The 20-year-old likely won’t dazzle the way Quinn Hughes did when he stepped onto NHL ice for the first time in April of 2019, but there is reason to believe that Willander could make an impact for the Canucks.
Is Willander NHL-ready?
The one thing that stands out most about Willander’s game is his skating. It was evident to anyone who watched the young Swede flourish at the World Juniors, and that has continued to be a standout trait of his game at Boston University.
This is what's so impressive about Tom Willander.
Despite the offender carrying all the momentum, Willander doesn't give an inch, keeping him to the outside, thanks to his tremendous mobility and aggression. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/RNmwuSLwJn
— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) February 8, 2025
There’s already a strong argument that, behind Quinn Hughes, Willander may be the best-skating defenceman the Canucks have in the organization.
Of course, the Canucks don’t have a lot of burners on defence behind Hughes and Filip Hronek, although rookies Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini have helped the overall speed on the back end.
While Willander is a defence-first thinker, he has shown he can showcase some creativity with the puck on his stick.
Willander has taken a big step for Boston University this season. The 6-foot-1 blueliner is averaging more than 23 minutes per night and is a top penalty killer for his team.
Does the combination of his skating and defensive prowess mean he’s ready to step into an NHL role as soon as his season ends?
History suggests so.
Defencemen selected as high as Willander in the first round of the NHL Draft often sign NHL contracts at the end of their second NCAA season. That’s especially true for those who skate as well as Willander.
Luke Hughes (drafted fourth overall in 2021) signed with the New Jersey Devils after two college seasons. It’s the same with Jake Sanderson (drafted fifth overall in 2020 by the Ottawa Senators).
Even in the 2022 draft, two second-round selections, Seamus Casey and Willander’s former Boston University teammate Lane Hutson, signed with the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens, respectively, after just two college seasons.
Willander signing in a matter of weeks seems like a foregone conclusion, but it isn’t guaranteed.
One defenceman Willander has drawn comparisons to is Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild. Faber did go back for a third college season with the University of Minnesota before signing with the Minnesota Wild in the spring of 2023. Faber would go on to play two regular-season games and six playoff games for the Wild that season before finishing as runner-up for the Calder in 2023-24.
Comparables for Canucks’ Willander
TSN director of scouting Craig Button is high on Willander, comparing him to a pair of star defencemen earlier this season.
“When I watch Tommy play, there’s two players that come to mind… that’s Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild,” Button said.
“Tommy has all those abilities. He’s a great competitor, he’s an excellent skater, he closes on you.”
“No question in my mind… he is very close to being ready to play in the NHL.”
Willander has drawn comparisons to Faber, mainly because of his skating and his ability to defend aggressively and effectively.
One interesting thing about the McAvoy comparable is that when he signed with the Boston Bruins after two years at Boston University, his first six games in the NHL were playoff games. In those six games, he averaged over 26 minutes per night, including playing over 24 minutes in his first NHL game.
Another NHL player comparable to Willander is Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson, who is an underrated skater. According to NHL Edge data, Matheson’s top skating speed is among the top 5% of all NHLers. His speed bursts of over 20 miles per hour rank in the top three.
If you’ve watched Willander play, you could envision something similar for the smooth-skating Swedish defenceman.
Matheson also played for Boston University and put up eerily similar numbers to Willander at the NCAA level.
Willander’s immediate edge
While McAvoy was thrown into the fire by playing big minutes in the playoffs as an NHL youngster, he was put in a good spot by the Bruins.
For most of that series against the Ottawa Senators, McAvoy’s partner on defence was none other than Zdeno Chara.
And while it’s hard to picture two more different defenders than Chara and Quinn Hughes, it’s fair to assume that Willander could end up in a similar spot for the Canucks – by flanking the best defenceman in team history.
You can bet that Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has thought about pairing the two together ever since he drafted Willander. Heck, he said so himself.
“With his IQ, ability to skate and his size… I could see him being a perfect fit for Quinn Hughes,” Allvin said after drafting Willander in 2023.