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William Wallinder

Detroit Red Wings Sign William Wallinder

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced the signing of defenseman William Wallinder to a three-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2023-24 season. Financial details will be added as they become available.

Wallinder will immediately report to North America. The Red Wings also revealed that he will report to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

The 20-year-old Wallinder, born in Sweden, was the Red Wings’ second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, taken 32nd overall. He has spent the past two seasons playing for Rögle BK in the SHL, recording 45 points in 97 games.

Wallinder is a highly-touted prospect for the Red Wings and is known for his exceptional skating ability and offensive confidence. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 190 pounds, he’s got a pro-ready size that could help ease his transition to North American ice.

Wallinder appeared in seven games for Sweden at the 2022 World Junior Championship, recording three assists and a +3 rating in seven games. He also recorded the most points among all junior-aged SHL players in 2021-22 and was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year.

Sweden Announces Preliminary Roster For 2022 WJC

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While the focus is on the Stanley Cup Final right now, fans will have some more hockey to watch later this summer, when the rescheduled World Junior Championship takes place in August. The event, which was postponed from its normal late-December timeslot because of a COVID-19 outbreak, will kick off on August 9 in Edmonton, Alberta.

All of the same players are eligible for the event, even if they have since turned 20, but with the tournament coming so close to the start of the NHL season, there will be quite a different look for many countries. That’s true for Sweden, who released their preliminary roster today:

G Jesper Wallstedt
G Calle Clang
G Carl Lindbom

D Helge Grans
D Emil Andrae
D Mattias Havelid
D Mans Forsfjall
D Simon Edvinsson
D Leo Loof
D William Wallinder
D Joel Nystrom

F Daniel Ljungman
F Fabian Lysell
F Ake Stakkestad
F William Eklund
F Linus Sjodin
F Victor Stjernborg
F Albert Sjoberg
F Isak Rosen
F Jonathan Lekkerimaki
F Theodore Niederbach
F Oskar Magnusson
F Daniel Torgersson

This is a great opportunity for someone like Lekkerimaki, the top Swede in this year’s draft. He will have already been selected by the time the tournament gets off but it likely means he’ll have a chance to take part in two of these events over just a few months.

If you think you see a number of Detroit Red Wings prospects, you aren’t wrong. Edvinsson’s inclusion is especially interesting as many believe he will challenge for a full-time roster spot next season. Eklund is in the same boat, after already playing nine games for the San Jose Sharks and recording four points.

Morning Notes: Wallinder, Nurse, Chinakhov

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Over the long history of the Detroit Red Wings, there have been some incredible Swedish players. The days of Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom may be over, but there is a new wave of Swedish talent coming to claim the ice in Detroit. Lucas Raymond has been outstanding in his rookie season, scoring 56 points in 79 games, and top prospect Simon Edvinsson appears to be a first-pairing defenseman in the making.

It was another prospect though, who received the honor of being the best junior-aged player in the SHL this season. William Wallinder, selected 32nd overall in 2020, took home the award, the second straight time it has been given to a Red Wings defenseman. Moritz Seider–a German playing in the SHL–took it home a year ago, before bursting onto the scene as the likely Calder Trophy winner this season. Wallinder, 19, is another behemoth standing 6’4″, but is actually one of the best skaters in the SHL and recorded 19 points in 47 games for Rogle this season. Get ready, the Swedes are coming.

  • Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed today that Darnell Nurse did not make the trip to Columbus and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The team is still hoping their top defenseman will be ready for the playoffs, but he won’t play in today’s afternoon affair or Tuesday’s match against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers are firmly in a playoff position, two points ahead of their likely first-round opponent the Los Angeles Kings, but will certainly want Nurse to shake off any rust before the postseason begins. The 27-year-old has 35 points in 71 games this season while averaging over 25 minutes a night.
  • It’s been more than three weeks since rookie Yegor Chinakhov was in the lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he’ll make his return today against the Oilers. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda tweets that Chinakhov will go into the lineup for Brendan Gaunce, giving the 21-year-old a chance to add to his totals down the stretch. Selected 21st overall in 2020, the young forward has 14 points in 58 games this year.

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