Willander Selected 11th Overall by Vancouver at 2023 NHL Draft
June 28, 2023 | Men's Ice Hockey
NASHVILLE - Incoming freshman Tom Willander of the Boston University men's ice hockey team was selected 11th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023 NHL Draft on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Willander became the 23rd Terrier to be chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft. BU has boasted 12 first-round picks in the last nine years, including five in the top 10 and eight in the top 15. Willander is the 192nd Terrier to be picked in the NHL Draft. He was the first NCAA-bound defenseman to be taken this year and the seventh Terrier in program history to be selected by the Canucks. Willander is not the only Terrier currently in the Canucks organization, as Scott Young is the team's director of player personnel.
A moment Tom Willander will never forget! pic.twitter.com/WqGOkp5JKz
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) June 29, 2023
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Willander's stock has risen since the start of the new year. He led all defensemen with three goals and was third among all blue liners with eight points at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship to help his country win silver. In 39 games with Rögle BK, his junior team in Sweden, Willander totaled four goals and 21 assists for 25 points.
More future Terriers are expected to hear their names called during rounds 2-7 of this year's draft. Day two in Nashville gets underway on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET on NHL Network.All smiles for Tom Willander 😀
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) June 29, 2023
📸 @collegehockey pic.twitter.com/q6pWcxxEtD
