Tom Willander Cut From Swedish National Team Ahead of IIHF World Championship
Photo credit: Boston University Athletics
Vancouver Canucks top prospect Tom Willander was not named to Sweden's final roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which is set to begin on Friday.
Fans of the Vancouver Canucks are waiting anxiously for the arrival of top prospect Tom Willander following reports that the two sides are separated by just $200,000 in contract talks.
In the meantime, Willander decided to return home to Sweden where he joined the Swedish National Team for training camp ahead of the World Championship and was also named to their roster for the Czech Hockey Games, an exhibition tournament held every May.
Tom Willander not named to Sweden's final roster for IIHF World Championship
Sweden wrapped up the Czech Hockey Games on Sunday with a big 6-2 win over Finland which clinched their fourth gold medal in the tournament's history and first since 2019.
Tom Willander was given a big opportunity for Sweden's final game as he was placed on the top pairing with his future Vancouver Canucks teammate Marcus Pettersson.
Less than 24 hours after their win over Finland, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association finalized their roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which they'll co-host with Denmark, and it appears that Tom Willander has been left on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Marcus Pettersson, as expected, has been named to Sweden's final roster for the tournament, which begins on Friday as they take on Slovakia.
Note: the following is translated from Swedish
"We feel prepared for what is to come and know that we have a mission, which is to win World Cup gold. We won bronze last year and want to move up two steps this year. We are very happy with this squad" head coach Sam Hallam said.
"We feel prepared for what is to come and know that we have a mission, which is to win World Cup gold. We won bronze last year and want to move up two steps this year. We are very happy with this squad" head coach Sam Hallam said.
With Tom Willander not on Sweden's roster and it being unlikely that he'll sign with the Vancouver Canucks anytime soon, his season has now come to a close following a strong sophomore campaign with Boston University.
Patrik Allvin and the Canucks management group will continue to work hard to get Tom Willander signed to his entry-level contract, but it sounds like there's a good chance he could return to Boston University for a third year.
| POLL | ||
MAI 5 | 657 ANSWERS Tom Willander Cut From Swedish National Team Ahead of IIHF World Championship Do you think Tom Willander should have been on Sweden's roster for the tournament? | ||
| Yes | 337 | 51.3 % |
| No | 320 | 48.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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