Canucks prospect Tom Willander named to Sweden’s 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase roster

Team Sweden has announced their roster for the upcoming 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase.

 

The annual event serves as a training camp for coaches to evaluate and finalize their rosters for the upcoming 2025 World Junior Championship, held in Ottawa, Canada.

The Summer Showcase will be held from July 26 to August 3 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The event will feature teams from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden.

Among those named for Sweden was Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander.

While a preliminary roster invite does not guarantee a spot in December’s World Junior Championship, the 2023 first-rounder is expected to make the team and play a significant role on Sweden’s backend.

Willander enjoyed top-4 minutes (19:36 average) in Sweden’s Silver Medal win in January, notching a goal, and two assists while finishing with the third-highest plus/minus rating at plus-9.

Here is the schedule for Sweden’s upcoming games:

Held off of the preliminary roster announcement was fellow Swedish Canuck prospect Vilmer Alriksson. After a respectable rookie year in the OHL, he was a name we had questioned as a WJC hopeful.

As for Willander, the 19-year-old is gearing up for his sophomore year at Boston University, where he is also expected to take on an increased role.

Despite heartbreak in both the Hockey East Finals and Frozen Four, Willander enjoyed a commendable freshman year at Boston University. With four goals and 25 points, he finished third among U19 defenders in points, while his plus-28 was the eighth-best among all NCAA skaters –– all while playing second fiddle to Lane Hutson.

With Hutson, a Montreal Canadiens prospect who has now turned pro, the reins are expected to be handed over to Willander.

By all accounts, 2024-25 is shaping up to be a big year for the Swedish rearguard.