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<div>With Boston University off to another Frozen Four, all eyes in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver are on Canucks</a> top prospect Tom Willander.</div>
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<div>Currently in his second year with BU, the 20-year-old defenceman will participate in college hockey&#8217;s top tournament once again as fans continue to speculate when he will sign his entry-level contract with the Canucks and make his way North of the border.</div>
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<p>On Tuesday morning&#8217;s edition of Donnie &amp; Dhali, Rick Dhaliwal spoke on where the Canucks and Willander currently stand, sharing many possibilities are being considered, including one that he may return to play with Boston University for a third year:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Knowing his representative, they will likely do what they feel is best for his career long-term in earning power. What does the actual contract look like? It could come down to a battle over the scheduled performance bonuses. Canucks may be trying to sign Willander to the same performance bonuses that Jonathan Lekkerimäki got two years ago. Keep that one in mind.</p>
<p>&#8220;Willander has certainly met or exceeded his draft position with his stellar play. Maybe the bonuses he feels should be higher. Do you burn a year of the contract? Do you play the rest of the year in Abbotsford? Going back to school, I&#8217;ve been told, for a third season is now an option as well. There are a lot of things in play.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In our opening segment <a href="https://twitter.com/DhaliwalSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DhaliwalSports</a> updated the latest he is hearing on EP40 and Nils Hoglander&#39;s injuries, Filip Chytil and where things stand with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> &amp; Tom Willander.<a href="https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ">https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/h2hOOuGwl5">pic.twitter.com/h2hOOuGwl5</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Donnie &amp; Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnieandDhali/status/1907121879028289678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-tom-willander-boston-university-terriers-secure-frozen-four-berth-overtime-thriller">Boston University is set to play in the Frozen Four</a> semi-final against Penn State on April 10th, with the championship match set for April 12th. Depending on when they finish, there will only be a handful of regular season matches left for Willander to join either Vancouver or Abbotsford, meaning they would &#8216;burn&#8217; a year of his entry-level contract on just a few games. With many options still on the table, this is something Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin will have to consider, especially if Willander ends up set on returning to BU for another season.</p>
<p>Taken 11th overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft by Vancouver, Willander has continued to be a consistent presence for BU in his sophomore season. Through 37 regular-season games this year, he put up 23 points, right on pace with last year&#8217;s 25 points in 38 games. More than that, the 6-foot Swedish defenceman has continued to be a key part of BU&#8217;s blue line en route to their third consecutive appearance in the Frozen Four.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-complete-top-20-vancouver-canucks-mid-season-prospect-rankings">mid-season prospect rankings</a> on CanucksArmy, Tom Willander was awarded Vancouver&#8217;s <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-top-20-vancouver-canucks-mid-season-prospect-rankings-2-tom-willander">second-best prospect</a> behind only 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimäki. On Willander, Hall writes:</p>
<blockquote><p>Tom Willander is a highly touted, right-shot backend with exceptional skating ability and a competitive edge. He’s a cornerstone of Boston University’s defence, logging big minutes and contributing in all situations. While not an offensive dynamo, he’s steadily improved his puck-moving and decision-making. Willander’s strengths lie in his defensive awareness, physicality, and ability to shut down opponents. He has the potential to be a top-four, two-way defenseman in the NHL, capable of playing against top competition and contributing on special teams.</p></blockquote>
<p>While Willander has still yet to sign his entry-level contract, many questions swirl about where and when he&#8217;ll land with the Canucks organization. But as his college career continues to flourish, Vancouver fans can rest assured that the future is looking bright.</p>


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<div>With Boston University off to another Frozen Four, all eyes in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver are on Canucks</a> top prospect Tom Willander.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Currently in his second year with BU, the 20-year-old defenceman will participate in college hockey's top tournament once again as fans continue to speculate when he will sign his entry-level contract with the Canucks and make his way North of the border.</div>
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On Tuesday morning's edition of Donnie &amp; Dhali, Rick Dhaliwal spoke on where the Canucks and Willander currently stand, sharing many possibilities are being considered, including one that he may return to play with Boston University for a third year:
<blockquote>"Knowing his representative, they will likely do what they feel is best for his career long-term in earning power. What does the actual contract look like? It could come down to a battle over the scheduled performance bonuses. Canucks may be trying to sign Willander to the same performance bonuses that Jonathan Lekkerimäki got two years ago. Keep that one in mind.

"Willander has certainly met or exceeded his draft position with his stellar play. Maybe the bonuses he feels should be higher. Do you burn a year of the contract? Do you play the rest of the year in Abbotsford? Going back to school, I've been told, for a third season is now an option as well. There are a lot of things in play."</blockquote>
https://twitter.com/DonnieandDhali/status/1907121879028289678

<a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-tom-willander-boston-university-terriers-secure-frozen-four-berth-overtime-thriller">Boston University is set to play in the Frozen Four</a> semi-final against Penn State on April 10th, with the championship match set for April 12th. Depending on when they finish, there will only be a handful of regular season matches left for Willander to join either Vancouver or Abbotsford, meaning they would 'burn' a year of his entry-level contract on just a few games. With many options still on the table, this is something Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin will have to consider, especially if Willander ends up set on returning to BU for another season.

Taken 11th overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft by Vancouver, Willander has continued to be a consistent presence for BU in his sophomore season. Through 37 regular-season games this year, he put up 23 points, right on pace with last year's 25 points in 38 games. More than that, the 6-foot Swedish defenceman has continued to be a key part of BU's blue line en route to their third consecutive appearance in the Frozen Four.

In our <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-complete-top-20-vancouver-canucks-mid-season-prospect-rankings">mid-season prospect rankings</a> on CanucksArmy, Tom Willander was awarded Vancouver's <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-top-20-vancouver-canucks-mid-season-prospect-rankings-2-tom-willander">second-best prospect</a> behind only 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimäki. On Willander, Hall writes:
<blockquote>Tom Willander is a highly touted, right-shot backend with exceptional skating ability and a competitive edge. He’s a cornerstone of Boston University’s defence, logging big minutes and contributing in all situations. While not an offensive dynamo, he’s steadily improved his puck-moving and decision-making. Willander’s strengths lie in his defensive awareness, physicality, and ability to shut down opponents. He has the potential to be a top-four, two-way defenseman in the NHL, capable of playing against top competition and contributing on special teams.</blockquote>
While Willander has still yet to sign his entry-level contract, many questions swirl about where and when he'll land with the Canucks organization. But as his college career continues to flourish, Vancouver fans can rest assured that the future is looking bright.

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