It’s official: the Vancouver Canucks will have at least one representative at the 2025 World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

Team Sweden released their official roster on Wednesday morning, and as expected, it featured one of the Canucks’ top prospects, Tom Willander.

The roster includes eight returnees who played pivotal roles in Sweden’s journey to a Silver Medal on home soil in last year’s tournament. Notable returnees include goaltender Melker Thelin (UTA), defencemen Axel Sandin Pellikka (DET) and Theo Lindstein (STL), and forwards Zeb Forsfjäll (SEA), Otto Stenberg (STL), Felix Unger Sörum (CAR), and Anton Wahlberg (BUF).

Highlighted by Sandin Pellikka and Willander, Sweden will lean heavily on its blue line this year, with both returnees expected to log significant minutes. While Sandin Pellikka will likely see top powerplay and even-strength deployment, Willander should be featured prominently in shutdown situations, anchoring the secondary powerplay unit and handling high-pressure minutes.

The former 11th overall pick was integral to Sweden’s success in the 2024 tournament. He tied for third in the event with a plus-9 rating while only being on the ice for two goals against at even strength. He also contributed offensively with a game-winning goal and two assists.

Now a sophomore, Willander is playing heavy minutes at Boston University. Averaging just over 23 minutes a night, he’s collected nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 14 games and carries a plus-6 rating. He also sits third on the BU Terriers with 21 blocked shots.

Expectations remain high this year as he steps into a key role for Sweden for his second and final opportunity to earn Gold at the U20 tournament.

Notably absent from this year’s roster were Canucks prospects Melvin Fernström and Vilmer Alriksson. Alriksson, currently a standout with the Guelph Storm, was considered an outsider for the selection, but Fernström was likely on the cusp of making the team.

After attending the World Junior Summer Showcase, Fernström was well on Sweden’s radar. His consistent play in the SHL and dominance at the J20 level left his window open, but ultimately fell just short. That being said, there’s a strong possibility that he will earn a spot in next year’s tournament.

With Willander officially named, the Canucks could have up to three representatives at the World Juniors. Sawyer Mynio received an invitation to Team Canada’s preliminary camp earlier this week, and last summer’s seventh-round pick, Basile Sansonnens, remains a potential addition to Team Switzerland.

Team Sweden will play two friendly matches ahead of the tournament: one against Canada on December 22nd and another against Germany on December 23rd. The World Juniors officially kick off on Boxing Day, with Sweden taking on Team Slovakia in their opening match.

Here’s a look at their upcoming schedule:

As always, we will have you covered for all the coverage of each Canuck prospect here at CanucksArmy.