One of the top prospects in the Vancouver Canucks system is going to have to wait for his first shot at the senior national stage.

Sweden announced its roster for the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship, with defenceman Tom Willander’s name being left off.

Willander had reportedly performed well during the team’s training camp over the past week, but wasn’t quite there yet to knock off names of established NHLers like Canucks blueliner Marcus Pettersson, as well as Jonas Brodin and of the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings rising star Simon Edvinsson.

While six defencemen have been named to the current roster, more will most likely be added as teams get eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sweden head coach Sam Hallam had lots of positive things to say about Willander’s game, stating the Boston University product is someone with a lot of potential, and could be used by the national team in the future thanks to his defensive responsibility and skating ability.

Playing for Team Sweden — in Stockholm — would have marked the first time the 20-year-old would have played for the senior national team at the world championships. Willander played three games for Tre Kronor during the EuroHockey Tour this season, also playing for his country at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Willander has been in the news a lot in Vancouver in recent weeks, though not for the best of reasons. After his Terriers lost in the NCAA Championship game to Western Michigan last month, speculation quickly rose about whether the 2023 first-round pick would sign his entry-level contract.

However, to add to the off-ice soap opera that has plagued the Canucks for the entire 2024-25 campaign, the team and Willander’s camp were unable to come to terms before the conclusion of the regular season. There’s been plenty of reporting that the two sides aren’t on the same page, with president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford confirming that the Canucks have offered Willander the same contract as they did last summer.