The Vancouver Canucks have selected defenseman Tom Willander with the 11th-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Trevor Beggs of Locked On Canucks joins Gil Martin and Hadi Kalakeche to react to a pick that has left a lot of Canucks fans feeling disappointed. But is there something to be said for the well-rounded defender for a fan base that has seen far too many draft misses in recent history.
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13 Comments
Nice pick willander was 5th on my list at 11th rienbacher dvarosky simishev Danielson than willander bur other 4 were gone
2 or 3 years in the SHL?
He's already committed to College.
I wanted Reinbacher, Simachev or Michkov as my top 3, But Willander was 4th for me. Benson would have been good as well, but Willander has good size, hockey IQ, defensive ability and top 4 upside. My fear was that they'd see Sandin-Pellikka's offensive skill and wouldn't be able to pass that up, but I think they went with the better pick. A lot of people I've seen on message boards are comparing him to Juolevi, or just being outright racist about it. Tampa seemed to do pretty well with a top D from Sweden and a top line player from Russia. Country of origin only matters if you have a window where you need a guy to come in soon and then a player from Russia might be a concern, but that's not true of all Russian players. I really like the pick, and most of these players, Willander included, are 2-3 years away from making an impact in the NHL, and when you're talking about 18 year olds, especially defensemen, you really don't know what's going to happen in that time and a lot can happen. I don't care where a player comes from, as long as they can play at a high level and fill a need. Benson was the sexy pick because he plays for the Giants, but we saw what happened the last time the Canucks picked a local kid. He ended up in court. Sure, that argument is as silly as the "soft Swede" argument (just not as racist), so if management and scouts are familiar with him and think he's the BPA at that position, let's see what he can do. I hardly think a goof like me knows more than NHL scouts.
He's going to BU this upcoming hockey season.
Playing in Boston next year. Even I know that.
I told you so Kyle..! 🙂
Really good pick… Just have to stop with the Swedish players now, and draft more Canadian players… Willander can play NHL hockey in 2 more seasons… He's college hockey bound, so his development will accelerate quicker playing in North America, on the smaller ice.
Where are the trades..?
Get rid of Lekkerimaki… Package him with a roster player like Boeser or Garland.
Completely 😢 lost faith in this used-car salesman. P. "Best Swede Available" Allvin. 5 hours ago, he said, "BPA", with a straight face. BENSON was available, and he passed. Polite response: deceitful.
Picking a defensive player that can get the puck out the zone is fantastic, I am really happy with it. I don't give a shit about another forward.
After setting an all time NHL record for blown 3 goal leads in the tail end of a decade of failure, at some point you have to build your defense through the draft.
I have Zero faith in any canucks pick untill i see them playnin the NHL.
Canucks havent hit in the draft for 4 years and podkolzin and hoglander really arent that great.
Nucks fans are hurt…im ok with a right defense…nothing would make fans happy. Maybe if we didnt win so many mean nothing gsmes.
Hey martin…upgrade ur mic …u sound like a teenager