D Tom Willander - Boston University, NCAA (2023, 11th, VAN)

[LemonSauceD]

Looked really good out there tonight, his skating ability is by far the best from the draft.

 

[Fatass]

staple him to Hudson (stand-in for QH).

Watched the game and Willander is very good. Not too sure about that Hudson guy though.

 

[Nipsey]

He’s nasty. Perfect partner for Quinn Hughes too.

 

[Canucks LB]

I can’t get over how well he skates for his size

I’m not saying he’s going to be the same player, far from it, but he skates like hedman

 

[LeProspector]

This is a really good prospect. Has top-4 written all over him.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Looked really good out there tonight, his skating ability is by far the best from the draft.

Oliver Moore says hi.

 

[Jay26]

Oliver Moore says hi.

Hi Oliver.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Exactly what Vancouver has sorely needed. A sizeable, RHD that skates and defends and moves the puck. After all, Tyler Myers needs an heir to his throne

 

[Steve Kournianos]

I watched both games. The UNH game was near-perfect and the NTDP one was 50/50, which was probably good considering how rough of a night the whole team had. He won’t be on PP1 as long as Hutson and Mack Celebrini are there, but there was one shift where PP2 had to open the PP and Willander looked comfortable carrying the puck and setting up. His shot release and accuracy are good enough as well.

One battle within a battle I’m eyeing is the competition between Gallagher, Willander and Aiden Celebrini not only for ice time this season, but also a potential audition for No. 1 next season (if all three return).

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I mentioned it pre-draft but this guy oozes 'Captain Matertial' Reports out of the interviews at the combine is some teams regarded Willander as the best interview theyve had in a long time and compared his leadership and maturity to the likes of Gabriel Landeskog when he was going through the draft process.


also intriguing to note, in a press interview over the weekend, Wallinder mentioned that this season was his only his 2nd full time season as a defender. Its impressive to see that he is very detailed and reliable on the defenive end. Most forwards that transition to defence have a hard time with the defensive aspect of the game but flourish witht he offensive side.

Willander's skating is mesmerizing to watch and his IQ can keep up.

I think he will be a one and done in BU and will mostly be focusing on strength developing and the details of playing in a smaller rink. 2 years is the max i can see him being at BU.

AI's captain matertial ::

 

[UrbanImpact]

Canucks Right Side isnt looking too miserable anymore in terms of prospect pipleline.

There's Willander but also Hunter Bruzutewics who leads the OHL in scoring with 13 pts in 7 games.

 

[theslatcher]

I can’t get over how well he skates for his size

I’m not saying he’s going to be the same player, far from it, but he skates like hedman

This makes it sound like he's much bigger than he actually is.

Considering his father, if there's one thing he should be good at it's skating.

 

[UrbanImpact]

Its understandable why he models or compares his game after Heiskanen, his skating is his strength along with ICE-Q.

If he becomes anywhere near like a Heiskanen type Dman then this is a home-run pick.

 

[Buresflyingelbow]

It’s not just his skill or Skating as he was a forward up until 4 years ago. It’s his desire to get better that will put him in the Bluechip can’t miss prospect category. He was the biggest riser last year and he’s proving he belongs there.

 

[Knight53]

1A +3 today. 3 points in 3 games to start the year.

 

[Knight53]

 

[UrbanImpact]

7 pts in 11 games to start his NCAA career. Leads BU at +10

Continues to move up the lineup and is now on the 2nd pairing.

There are moments when you can tell he is still getting used to North American Ice but his exceptional skating is allowing him to adjust smoothly.

Can any BU fans provide some scouting of what theyve seen soo far this season.

 

[UrbanImpact]

Seems like Gap Control and taking away time and space is something Willander is excelling at.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Seems like Gap Control and taking away time and space is something Willander is excelling at.

The kid will run the Canucks second pair for a decade. Maybe bump Hronek down to the second pair over time.

 

[Szechwan]

Would also like to hear from some BU fans

 

[UrbanImpact]

I've only watched maybe 4-5 of his games this season out of 7.

The more and more i see him, the comparable i would make is:

Weegar/Montour

Some sort of hybrid between those 2 playing style.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Would also like to hear from some BU fans

@Rogie21

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Everytime I've watched BU this year (I'd say 2 or 3 full games & a couple more partial) the thing that stands out is how he squashes the attacker.

In 1 on 1 situations whether it be the rush or going into the corner, he doesn't hesitate, and not in a stupid 'chasing the play' kind of way, but a clean 'ending the play' way. He very attentive defensively & his skating ability+strength certainly helps closing guys off.

He's perfectly aggressive when he needs to be, and you see has the puck skills+IQ to make good plays when he has the puck. He's even flashed good shooting ability at times.

He'll never be a #1 but imo he'll be one of those reliable high-end top 3 RHD that are near impossible to acquire through trade.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Is Noah Hanafin a good comparable?

 

[UrbanImpact]

Is Noah Hanafin a good comparable?

Button yesterday unprompted, compares him to Charlie Mcavoy.