Boston University have made the Hockey East semis, so the Canucks’ star prospect will remain in the NCAA at least one more week.
Tom Willander’s Boston University Terriers won 3-2 in overtime in their Hockey East quarterfinal Saturday, which puts them into the conference semifinals on Thursday.
Once Willander’s season is done, it’s expected he’ll sign with the Canucks and begin his professional career.
He’ll be the eighth defenceman on the roster, so playing time may be hard to come by, but there’s little doubt the organization is excited to get the young defenceman into the fold.
The Canucks drafted Willander 11th overall in 2023. He’s played the last two seasons at Boston University. He had two goals and 20 assists in 34 league games for BU this season; he had two goals and three assists in seven games for Sweden at the world juniors.
At the world juniors, he was seen by many as Sweden’s best two-way blueliner. In the NHL he’s not expected to be an offensive force, but more of a smart defender who uses his size and feet to take away defensive space and then make smart plays with the puck to help launch breakouts, a bit like Marcus Pettersson, but right handed.