Plymouth, Michigan, will host the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase this weekend, featuring some of the top U20 talents worldwide. The event initially included four Vancouver Canucks prospects: Tom Willander (Sweden), Melvin Fernström (Sweden), Anthony Romani (Canada), and Sawyer Mynio (Canada).
However, in a recent tweet from Tre Kronor (translated through Google), it was announced that Tom Willander, the Canucks’ top defensive prospect, will be replaced by undrafted prospect Arvid Bergström.
This news took Canucks fans by surprise to see Willander removed from Team Sweden’s roster. However, shortly after, Chek TV’s Rick Dhaliwal later highlighted why the defenceman was being held out.
Although unfortunate, his absence should not be considered a huge setback, considering his strong likelihood of representing Sweden at the upcoming World Juniors, which will be hosted in Ottawa.
Last year, the 19-year-old played a key role in Sweden’s U20 team, helping secure a Silver Medal on home soil. He contributed three points (one goal, two assists) and finished with the tournament’s third-highest plus/minus rating at plus-9 across seven games.
As he returns to Boston University for his sophomore year, Willander is expected to take on a more substantial role on the team’s defence. Their season begins on October 5th when they host Holy Cross.
Willander had an impressive freshman year, finishing with 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 38 games and recording the fourth-highest plus/minus among all defenders nationwide at plus-28.
Despite his absence, fans can still look forward to watching the Canucks’ recent first pick (93rd overall) of the 2024 draft, Melvin Fernström, represent Sweden. Fans can also look forward to seeing Anthony Romani and Sawyer Mynio in action for Canada.
The 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase will take place from July 26-August 3 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, and include teams from Canada, U.S.A, Finland and Sweden
Sweden’s Schedule:
Sunday, July 28th, 2024: USA Blue vs. Sweden, 1:00 PM PT
Monday, July 29th, 2024: USA White vs. Sweden, 1:00 PM PT
Friday, August 2nd, 2024: Sweden vs. USA, 1:00 PM PT
Saturday, August 3rd, 2024: Sweden vs. Finland, 10:00 AM PT
Here is the schedule for Canada’s upcoming games:
Tuesday, July 30th, 2024: Canada Red vs. Canada White, 4:30 PM PT
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024: Canada vs. Sweden, 4:30 PM PT
Friday, August 2nd, 2024: Canada vs. Finland, 10:00 AM PT
Saturday, August 3rd, 2024: Canada vs. USA, 1:00 PM PT
Be sure to follow along with the event here at CanucksArmy.