Tom Willander is used to working hard in the offseason, but he took his summer preparation to a new level as he waves goodbye to the NCAA and now makes the jump to pro hockey in North America.
The 20-year-old, right-shot defenceman who was selected 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft worked hard this summer and only took a week off. During that week off, he travelled to Portugal and battled the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
“I went surfing in Portugal, and it might have been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” said Willander. “I was there for a week and got a good hang of it, so I’m hooked.”
When asked about any other fun part of his summer, Willander took a moment to think before beginning to speak about his time at the rink and the gym.
“I was definitely more dialed in than I’ve been before,” said Willander when talking about his offseason training. “The summers before, I did well, I was on the sheet a lot, but I stepped it up a notch this summer. A good portion of the summer, I might be on the ice for two sessions a day.”
Willander is prepared for his rookie season as a pro player in North America and got a feel for competing against NHL talent when he played on Sweden’s international team in late April and early May.
The bigger bodies he faced before his summer helped him better understand what to focus on this offseason, and the defenceman appears noticeably larger than when we saw him at Canucks development camp in the summer of 2024.
“What I kind of felt when I was there playing was that when you play with pros, hockey is very different from college hockey, obviously. When you play with better players, there are some things that are a bit different. Defending is harder, but parts of the offensive game are a lot easier because you get the puck quicker and earlier, so you really have more time than you would have to make a play at the college level,” said Willander.
“I felt like you just get the puck in better positions, better spots, all over [the ice]. So, some parts of the game definitely did feel easier.”
In addition to strength gain, Willander has been preparing himself for a longer season, having played in the NCAA for the past two years and in about 60 games last year, including international games with Sweden.
