It's one thing to have a great player. It's another thing to have a great person. Honestly, when it comes to sport having an intelligent, kind, driven, team-oriented, leadership-quality player means a lot. Attitude goes a long way in sport.
He has all the fundamentals down at this stage that you want from an 18 year old defenseman. Most importantly, the hockey IQ, skating, size and his ability to play with smaller, more offensive-minded defensemen (Sandin-Pelikka). He also has shown untapped offensive potential. But that shows he's teachable. He knows how good he is offensively, and having the maturity at a young age to play a more defensive game to compliment his defense partner when he could have gotten frustrated and done his own thing, like some immature players, is an excellent sign. As an 18 year old, 2 of the most important attributes you can have are hockey IQ and being teachable. Whatever the team needs, if it's within your skill set, you're going to do it gladly. By contrast, look at Dubois, who is a very good centre, but he's demanded trades from 2 different cities. I wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole. I want guys who are committed to where they're at to a fault and will do what's asked of them with no problem. They just want to do whatever they can to help the team win. Whether they score 20 goals as a defenseman or 5 isn't as important as team results. I really like this pick, but we'll see in the next couple of years how things go. I don't care what country he's from. A good player is a good player and he addresses a huge team need that probably won't go away by the time he's NHL ready and if that's the case, then we have options. I think we probably got BPA, but time will tell.
I was on the fence with this pick yesterday, but after sleeping on it and listening to his interview I'm actually pretty happy about it. His decision to play at Boston university because he feels it's the best route to work on what he feels are his weaknesses shows a lot about his character
It's weird seeing everbody in the comments changing their mind on Willander as a 11th pick based on his public speeking skills. I belive he is a good pick but not based on his public speaking skills. I feel like north american put way to much emphasis on public speaking. It's great being able to communicate your thoughts clearly, but it's not indicative of his skills in a whole different area.
23 Comments
I hope he learns to speak English properly before he plays here…
Love his confidence and sense of humour. Great leadership potential.
I'm hoping he comes up next year.
At least he has fun answers.
Im onboard.
The sedins should make him work
He has mad mic skills
Smart kid. Strong in his end. Like this pick.The offense will be gravy.
Definitely a good first interview
Dont know how good he is on the ice, but his english, humor and charm seems great
He is super well-spoken. Speaks better English than Petey even.
In the mold of Miro Heiskanen bro. Wow
Might turn out yo be the best defenseman in the drsft. 8 pts 7 games in the under 18. Has huge upside.
Mans English is better than Pettersson's
It's one thing to have a great player. It's another thing to have a great person. Honestly, when it comes to sport having an intelligent, kind, driven, team-oriented, leadership-quality player means a lot. Attitude goes a long way in sport.
Don’t know why he reminds me of Wolf "The Dentist" Stansson 😅
He has all the fundamentals down at this stage that you want from an 18 year old defenseman. Most importantly, the hockey IQ, skating, size and his ability to play with smaller, more offensive-minded defensemen (Sandin-Pelikka). He also has shown untapped offensive potential. But that shows he's teachable. He knows how good he is offensively, and having the maturity at a young age to play a more defensive game to compliment his defense partner when he could have gotten frustrated and done his own thing, like some immature players, is an excellent sign. As an 18 year old, 2 of the most important attributes you can have are hockey IQ and being teachable. Whatever the team needs, if it's within your skill set, you're going to do it gladly. By contrast, look at Dubois, who is a very good centre, but he's demanded trades from 2 different cities. I wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole. I want guys who are committed to where they're at to a fault and will do what's asked of them with no problem. They just want to do whatever they can to help the team win. Whether they score 20 goals as a defenseman or 5 isn't as important as team results. I really like this pick, but we'll see in the next couple of years how things go. I don't care what country he's from. A good player is a good player and he addresses a huge team need that probably won't go away by the time he's NHL ready and if that's the case, then we have options. I think we probably got BPA, but time will tell.
I was on the fence with this pick yesterday, but after sleeping on it and listening to his interview I'm actually pretty happy about it. His decision to play at Boston university because he feels it's the best route to work on what he feels are his weaknesses shows a lot about his character
I have a good feeling about this pick
The Sedin's will pick him up at the airport and take him straight to the Grouse Grind 😅
It's weird seeing everbody in the comments changing their mind on Willander as a 11th pick based on his public speeking skills. I belive he is a good pick but not based on his public speaking skills. I feel like north american put way to much emphasis on public speaking. It's great being able to communicate your thoughts clearly, but it's not indicative of his skills in a whole different area.
Finally some orca > skate takes
This young man has a lot of personality!!