It’s rare for freshly drafted European prospects to take the collegiate route, especially right out the gate post-draft. Yet the Vancouver Canucks have now seen a pair of draftees take that less-traditional development route over the last few years.

The Canucks’ 2023 first-round pick, Tom Willander, was something of a trailblazer, committing to Boston University in place of staying home in his native country to develop. Two years later, another Swedish prospect is now following a similar path.

Wilson Björck, the Canucks’ fifth-round pick (143rd overall) in 2025, chose to forego his opportunity to grow with Djurgårdens’ (Allsvenskan) men’s program and instead head straight into the NCAA as a freshman with Colorado College.

It’s not as if there was nothing to play for at home. In fact, there was plenty of opportunity and family ties to keep him in Sweden. Björck is coming off an excellent campaign in the J20 Nationell, where he posted career-best numbers and helped Djurgårdens win the league championship.

He played that season alongside his younger brother, Viggo — a projected early pick in the 2026 draft — and the two combined for a staggering 165 points in 52 games (regular season and playoffs). This year, Viggo has already graduated into the organization’s men’s team in the Allsvenskan — the team that Wilson almost certainly would have played with had he stayed.

Instead, he uprooted his development entirely and committed to Colorado College — a program that housed former Canucks such as Doug Lidster and current NHLers such as Jaden Schwartz and Jaccob Slavin — and a development system that appealed to him immediately.

As Björck put it in his school biography:

“I chose Colorado College because of its unique academic structure, supportive community and the opportunity to compete at a high level in hockey. The Block Plan is especially appealing to me, it allows for deep focus on one subject at a time, which fits well with the demands of being a student-athlete.”

The “Block Plan” refers to a unique program and structure that allows students to take one class at a time for three and a half weeks, followed by a five-day break. Students typically complete four courses per semester. This way, he’s able to adjust to the North American game against stronger and mature opponents immediately while placing a high emphasis on his training.

One doesn’t have to look far to stumble across positive remarks about the Swedish forwards’ game. Whether it be from his club teams or internationally, his game has always garnered attention and respect from his coaches. And it’s not hard to see why that may be.

The core of Björck’s identity shows up relatively quickly when you watch him play. Where he truly separates himself, however, is between the ears.

His hockey sense is the backbone of his game. Even under pressure, even along the boards, there is always one thing that is showing up consistently in his highlight package: he has his head up at all times.

There’s a steadiness to the way he reads the play, supports routes, and uses available space. He doesn’t need to beat opponents with speed or strength when he can maneuver around pressure before it arrives. It’s subtle, but his ability to pre-scan is one of the main reasons he looks comfortable against older, heavier players despite still adjusting physically.

With the puck on his stick, that awareness reveals itself in a variety of ways. In transition, he anticipates pressure well enough to move pucks before lanes close, often hitting teammates in stride with quick passes that appear pre-planned.

In the offensive zone, he uses firm edges and body positioning to hold off defenders just long enough to open up a passing option. His game isn’t built on power, but on problem-solving, and there’s a cerebral calmness to his approach.

But it’s not just this intelligence that makes him such an entertaining player to watch. His second pillar — and the thing that complements his IQ so well — is how hard he competes.

Björck plays with a persistent, pest-like edge. He’s not a punishing hitter, but he’s disruptive. He pokes, prods, bumps, and annoys his way into plays he has no business reaching. He chases down loose pucks. He digs into battles. And even when he loses them, which definitely happens at the NCAA level, he rarely concedes them easily.

The combination of a high motor and high IQ is what gives his game runway. Even if he never becomes physically imposing, the foundation is strong.

Björck’s early months in North America have reinforced what made him an intriguing, albeit still long-shot prospect, on draft day. He’s a lean 178-pound winger, and while he doesn’t have the frame to bully opponents physically, he plays with the kind of relentless energy that earns coaches’ trust.

While we cannot confirm whether he’s won any, we envision his trophy case lined with various minor hockey “Digger” awards.

Of course, the transition hasn’t been seamless. The jump from Swedish junior hockey to the NCAA means facing older, stronger players, and he has lost his share of battles, both along the walls and on open ice. Make no mistake: there is still much room to grow and gain strength if he is ever to make that eventual leap to the NHL ice surface.

But the important part is that he hasn’t altered his identity in response to his transition. He still initiates contact, pushes into traffic, and plays the pest-like, high-compete style that made him entertaining to watch in Sweden.

Offensively, Björck projects more as a smart complementary winger than a primary driver, but there’s enough creativity in his toolkit to keep opponents honest. His game isn’t built around overwhelming speed or pure puck dominance. Instead, it’s rooted in timing, awareness, and the ability to make the right read a half-second before anyone else.

One of the first things that stands out in the offensive end is his curl-and-release shot. Björck generates unexpected power and accuracy by pulling pucks into his hip before snapping them through traffic. It’s not the kind of shot that will headline him as an elite scorer, but it becomes dangerous when paired with his creative mind and willingness to put himself in opportune spots.

He plays the power play trigger man on the half-wall, where he’s shown to be dangerous both as a shooter and playmaker.

He can also make plays off the rush. His hands are creative, and he has a knack for using small deceptive movements — a shoulder fake, a delayed cut, a soft drag — to open passing lanes.

Inside the offensive zone, Björck’s value lies in that IQ and calm demeanour we’ve discussed. He’s most effective by protecting the puck just long enough to draw defenders out of position, and his patience on the half wall allows him to funnel pucks into the slot at the right moments. Colorado College has already leaned on him in secondary power play minutes for this reason.

Björck is still refining his scoring touch, and his early numbers (two goals, three assists) reflect that. The tools are clearly present, but he hasn’t yet turned those flashes into the kind of nightly production that jumps off the page. A portion of that will come with adding muscle. Another portion will come from learning how to manipulate NCAA defenders with more pace and conviction.

Or, perhaps he’s simply a fifth-round pick that may never put everything together on the North American ice surface.

What should give the Canucks confidence, however, is the structure beneath his skill. Björck plays a translatable game, one built on effort, intelligence, and strong habits. If he continues to add strength and adjusts to the rhythm of the North American game, his offensive contributions could follow the same upward curve he saw in Sweden.

For now, he’s a freshman finding his footing, building trust with a new coaching staff, and learning the nuance of playing against older, heavier opponents. While the official roster has yet to be announced, there is a strong likelihood that he will play for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Junior Championships.

The early results won’t make headlines, but the underlying profile remains the same: a competitive, intelligent winger with enough skill and vision to impact games in subtle but meaningful ways.

And for a fifth-round pick, that’s precisely the kind of foundational bet the Canucks made when they selected him.