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Tom Willander

Canucks Sign Tom Willander To Entry-Level Contract

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The Canucks announced they’ve signed Tom Willander, the organization’s top defense prospect, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season. The deal carries a $950K cap hit with an $855K base salary and a $95K signing bonus each year, per PuckPedia.

It’s been a rocky few months for Vancouver and Willander, whom they selected No. 11 overall in the 2023 draft. After a repeat performance of his strong freshman performance at Boston University in his sophomore year in 2024-25, most expected he’d turn pro with the Canucks as soon as BU’s season ended.

That didn’t happen, and reporting quickly indicated a rift in contract talks related to how much they were willing to give Willander in Schedule A performance bonuses. General manager Patrik Allvin even said shortly thereafter that Willander informed them he planned to return to BU for his junior season. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports Willander’s ELC affords him up to $800K in A bonuses each season, short of the $1MM max but above the $475K they entered talks with, Dhaliwal said last month. PuckPedia confirms his deal averages $800K in A bonuses per season – up to $500K in 2025-26, $900K in 2026-27, and the maximum $1MM in 2027-28.

Willander, 20, will now have the chance to make the Canucks’ roster out of camp in the fall. He’ll begin his professional career with AHL Abbotsford if he doesn’t. Signing his contract prohibits him from returning to college, and since he’s a first-round pick, Vancouver doesn’t have to offer the Swede on loan to the Swedish Hockey League team that owns his rights (Rogle BK) before assigning him to the minors.

A 6’1″, 190-lb righty, Willander has good offensive tools but isn’t an all-out point producer. He plays more of a well-rounded game and racked up a +57 rating in 77 games over two years with the Terriers, including six goals and 43 assists for 49 points. He was named to Hockey East’s Second All-Star Team in each of his two collegiate seasons.

Willander has also done well for his country at the last two World Junior Championships, posting eight points and a +12 rating in 14 games. While Sweden didn’t medal at this year’s tournament, he won a silver medal with them last year. He ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Canucks’ system behind winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s most recent team-by-team breakdown. He’ll first be eligible for restricted free agency in 2028.

Canucks And Prospect Tom Willander Remain In Contract Dispute

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Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander remains in contract limbo and is currently wondering what his future holds, per Cam Robinson of eliteprospects.com.

Willander, a 20-year-old defenseman from Stockholm, Sweden, was drafted 11th overall by the Canucks in the 2023 NHL Draft. He spent the last two seasons at Boston University and has developed into one of the top two-way defensive prospects thanks to his combination of speed and high hockey IQ. In his sophomore season, he recorded 21 points (2 goals, 19 assists) and a plus-16 rating in 33 games. In two seasons at Boston University, he has registered 51 points and a plus-47 rating.

However, as Robinson points out, Willander and the Canucks remain in the dispute over the bonuses he should receive in his entry-level contract (reportedly thought to be approximately $200,000). On Friday, Willander said he has simply asked the team to include the bonuses in his entry-level deal and that no other stipulations have been requested (such as a demand to start in the NHL). Willander also noted that he held off on joining the Swedish National Team, per the Canucks’ request, at least until negotiations continued to stall. Willander eventually decided to join the team in hopes of participating at the 2025 IIHF World Championships.

“They asked us earlier in the season. The Canucks didn’t want us to play there,” Willander said.  “But then as time moved on, it became viable so we decided ‘okay, it could be fun to play games with really good players.”

There were also conflicting reports between the player the team regarding where he’ll play next season. As recent as last week, the Canucks stated in a press conference that Willander would be returning to college for another season. However, as Willander told Robinson, he believes he’s ready to move on from college hockey, noting that it’s no longer the “perfect spot” for him.

Through it all, Willander said he’s trying to stay objective through the process and noted that his goal is to still to play in the NHL with Vancouver. He said that he likes the players and people he has met throughout the organization. It’s just a matter of if a deal can be reached at this point. And as Willander added, “I haven’t even thought about it hypothetically because it’s not close to being a done deal.”

 

 

 

Canucks Notes: Willander, Demko, Center

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The Vancouver Canucks’ General Manager Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford held their end of season press conference earlier today. As one of the most important revelations from the media availability, Harman Dayal of The Athletic received a confirmation from Allvin that top prospect Tom Willander intends to return to Boston University for his junior season.

Allvin’s announcement comes with little surprise, given that a report a few days ago indicated that contract negotiations weren’t going well between the parties. The report suggests that the Canucks are low-balling Willander on Schedule ’A’ bonuses, obviously something the 2023 first-round pick isn’t interested in accepting.

Still, it’s not necessarily a worst-case scenario from Vancouver’s perspective. The organization still owns Willander’s contractual rights until after the 2026-27 NCAA season. That reality gives the Canucks a lot of control over the negotiations, having time on their side in repairing the relationship.

Other notes from the Canucks’ media availability:

  • In a surprising admission, Thomas Drance of The Athletic quoted Rutherford as saying, “We would like to extend him,” regarding netminder Thatcher Demko. The negotiations will be interesting to observe due to concerns about Demko’s health over the past year. He’s signed through next season on a $5MM cap hit and was only healthy enough to participate in 23 games for Vancouver this year. Meanwhile, the Canucks signed his tandem partner Kevin Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5MM extension in February.
  • Lastly, Randip Janda of Sportsnet publicized one of the more brutally honest quotes from the press conference. The quote in question was concerning the Canucks’ need for a center with Rutherford saying, “It will be expensive. But it will be expensive not to get one.” After trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, Vancouver finished the season with a lethargic group down the middle, led by an unimpressive performance from Elias Pettersson, who scored four goals in 19 contests after the deal.

Talks Not Going Well Between Canucks And Tom Willander

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Over the past several weeks, there have been plenty of college players signing entry-level contracts, some of which being top prospects.  One of those was expected to be Canucks blueliner Tom Willander but that didn’t come to fruition before the regular season came to an end.  In a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650 (video link), Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported that there have been long stretches without contact between the two sides and when they have tried to discuss a contract, those talks have gone nowhere.

Willander was the 11th overall pick back in 2023 after a solid year in Sweden’s junior system that saw him put up 25 points in 39 games and even make a pair of appearances at the SHL level.  Since then, Willander has spent the last two seasons at Boston University, playing a key two-way role while notching 49 points in 77 games over that stretch.  He also played a prominent role for Sweden at the World Juniors the last two years.

Accordingly, it was widely assumed that Willander would be deemed ready to sign and likely make his NHL debut late in the season or at least join Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.  Clearly, that hasn’t happened.

Dhaliwal reports that the holdup in discussions appears to be Schedule A bonuses, or rather, the lack of them. Entry-level players can have up to a maximum of $1MM in these, up $250K for four categories if a player receives the max.  Dhaliwal feels they’ve come in with a number around 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimaki ($475K) despite the fact that several players drafted after Willander have received higher A bonuses.  Teams that operate close to the cap as Vancouver typically does will try to get the bonuses as low as possible to help from a cap management perspective so this isn’t a case where they’ll want to just give in to the ask.

In terms of base compensation, the maximum salary that Willander can receive is $950K and it’s reasonable to think that he’ll receive that if and when he puts pen to paper on a contract.  As a result, that shouldn’t be an issue in discussions.

At this point, Willander has a few options for 2025-26.  He and the Canucks could come to terms on a deal that begins next season, permitting him to join Abbotsford now for their playoff run.  He could also remain at Boston University as he has two years of college eligibility remaining.  Alternatively, he could plausibly return home and play full-time in the SHL which could be a better test for him from a development standpoint.  Vancouver’s preference is surely to get him in their system but for that to happen, it appears they’ll have to up their bonus offer to get it done.

Prospect Notes: Hemming, Berggren, Willander, Dragicevic

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Dallas Stars 2024 first-round pick Emil Hemming has signed with the OHL’s Barrie Colts for the 2024-25 season. Hemming will forgo the final year of his three-year contract with Liiga’s TPS, where he’s played the past two seasons. Much of his 2022-23 campaign was spent on the TPS U20 roster – with Hemming potting 16 points in 22 games. He returned to the U20 lineup at the start of last season, though quickly earned a promotion to the Liiga after scoring 11 goals and 18 points in the first 13 games of the U20 season.

Hemming took the move to Finland’s top flight in stride, showing off just how physically mature his heavy, shoot-first style was. He only managed 11 points in 40 league games but showed plenty of growth as the year progressed, becoming much more confident in the defensive zone and more aggressive on offense. He curbed a meager two-point performance at the World Juniors with six points in five games at the World U18 Championships, continuing to show his strides as the season went along. All of that was enough to earn Hemming the 29th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, coupling him with a Stars team that’s quickly become known for finding draft-day steals. Hemming has shown he’s sturdy enough to play at a pro level and will now join Utah prospect Cole Beaudoin and Edmonton prospect Beau Akey as some of the many heavy and physical options in Barrie.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Jonatan Berggren is a bit buried down the Detroit Red Wings depth charts, but Max Bultman of The Athletic says he isn’t expecting Berggren to be traded. Instead, Bultman posits the benefits of a role reminiscent of Daniel Sprong’s role: operating on the team’s third line but still managing consistent power-play minutes. Berggren led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring last season, netting 24 goals and 56 points. He’s also scored a commendable 17 goals and 34 points in 79 NHL games over the last two years. He’ll now have a golden chance to secure a consistent NHL role, with Sprong headed to the Vancouver Canucks on a one-year contract.
  • Vancouver Canucks defense prospect Tom Willander has suffered a minor lower-body injury and won’t play at the World Junior Summer Showcase, shares Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK Sports. Willander was a surprising choice at 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, though he showed top-prospect upside during his freshman year at Boston University. Willander scored 25 points in 38 games, ranking second among Terrier defensemen. With injury now holding him out of Team Sweden’s summer games, Willander will shift his focus towards a breakout sophomore season at BU, where he’ll get a full run towards the top-defender role after Lane Hutson signed his entry-level contract.
  • Seattle Kraken defense prospect Lukas Dragicevic has seen his WHL rights traded from the Tri-City Americans to the Price Albert Raiders as part of a massive, seven-asset trade. Dragicevic signed his entry-level contract with Seattle in March after Tri-City missed out on the WHL playoffs. He finished the year with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, recording one assist through his first three AHL games. Prince Albert paid a hefty price for Dragicevic, suggesting that he could be set for a return to the CHL after getting a quick taste of the pros.  If that is the case, he’ll return looking to rediscover his strong scoring touch after recording 25 fewer points this season (50) than he did in 2022-23 (75).

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