LATEST | Top draft prospect and Canucks target renders controversial decision days before the draft

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Felip Gosselin
June 18, 2023 (7:40 PM)

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The Canucks and their scouting staff have started showing their colours before the draft. One name that's been extremely popular lately is the Swede RHD Tom Willander.

He is a skilled, agile skater, 6'01'' and 180 pounds; it's like he was built for the Canucks. Ranked as the 12th-best European skater, there are rumours that the Canucks could be onto him with the 11th pick.

Willander made a decision that's causing quite a stir since he chose to line up with Boston College instead of the traditional European trend where they graduated from the J20 to the SHL. The top prospect will start his North American adaptation straight away instead of heading to professional hockey. He commented on the subject:

"The SHL, it's senior teams and it's professional teams, highest league. Obviously, all the teams are there to win. So what happens is that usually, SHL teams ... they're not going to play the young guys as much, and they're not as focused on development for the guys on the team since most of the players are older. They're just focused on winning.''

This shows lots of maturity from an 18-year-old who's given up on money to prioritize his development. He does make a point that rookies don't tend to play much in their first years of professional hockey, while he'll most likely be seeing tons of opportunities at the Collegiate level.

While the prospect isn't previewed to be a top 15 pick, should the Canucks go ahead of themselves to draft him with the 11th? Should they trade for a pick later in the 1st round to acquire his services?

SOURCE: NHL.COM