The Vancouver Canucks entered the 2023 NHL Entry Draft with some distinct needs in their prospect pool. One of the biggest was the right side of their defence, where they don't have a single surefire NHL prospect in their system.
It's no surprise, then, that the Canucks used their first pick in the draft, 11th overall, on a right-side defenceman. It's even less surprising that the Canucks went to Sweden for that pick, taking the smooth-skating Tom Willander.
What is perhaps a little surprising is who they passed on to take Willander. With teams in the top ten making some surprising picks, including Russian defenceman Dmitri Simashev sixth overall and centre Nate Danielson ninth overall, Zach Benson — one of the most talented forwards in the draft — was available.
Willander grew up as a fan of the Canucks because of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, watching them from Sweden.
"From being small, I always looked up to this team. Seeing the logo up on the screen made me nostalgic, to be honest," said Willander. "It's a big honour."
While many draft rankings saw Willander as a late first-round pick, there are those in the prospect world who believe that Willander could be the best defenceman in the draft.
It starts with his skating, as he has incredible four-way mobility, which he uses to give opponents absolutely no space on the ice. With his mobility, reach, and intelligence, his gap control is impeccable.
"He’s always engaged defensively, using his dynamic posture and evasive footwork to guide attackers away from the middle and break up plays along the boards,” reads his scouting report from Elite Prospects. “When you add the fact that he’s both strong and skilled physically and relentlessly competes for every puck – he’s a nightmare to play against."
What stands out to scouts is his puck retrievals, as he's phenomenal at tracking dump-ins, winning races, and throwing deception at forecheckers to quickly escape and turn the puck the other way. Those retrievals could make him a puck possession beast in the NHL.
The question for Willander is if he can do enough offensively to be a true top-pairing defenceman. He showed more offensive creativity at the World Under-18 Championship, putting up 8 points in 7 games, and he has the tools to put up points, with crisp passing
Even if that offence doesn't come, Willander is the type of smooth-skating, two-way defenceman that can eat up major minutes. He's a safe bet to at least be a second-pairing defenceman, with the potential to match up against the best players in the NHL. It's the possibility of him becoming an all-around threat that makes him a compelling pick for the Canucks.
"He’s an everywhere-on-the-ice player – defensive zone, offensive zone, in transition, penalty killing, power play, against the best players," said TSN's Craig Button, who had Willander ranked 8th overall on his final draft board.
Willander is on his way to Boston University to develop in the NCAA rather than staying in Sweden. That eagerness to jump across the pond to North America early suggests a certain mindset from the young defenceman.
"They're getting a person who really wants to make change. I'm a driven person," said Willander. "I really want to make this a great decision for the Vancouver Canucks."
