Vancouver Canucks Top Prospect Tom Willander Getting Closer to Signing Entry-Level Contract

Tom Willander is in his second season with Boston University in the NCAA and all signs point to him signing an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks, rather than returning for a third year in college.

When will the Vancouver Canucks have Tom Willander under contract and when could he make his National Hockey League debut? It's complicated, but let's take a look at when he could arrive in Vancouver.

With the regular season now wrapped up in the NCAA, school across the United States are gearing up for the playoffs in their respective conferences.

For Boston University, who play in Hockey East, they're the third seed in their conference and ninth seed in the country and are set to take on the University of Massachusetts Amhurst in the Quarter-Finals on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 pm PT.

With this being a single-elimination tournament, Vancouver Canucks fans have been wondering - if Boston University loses, will Tom Willander sign later this weekend, and the answer is, no.

If Boston University happens to lose in the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals or Finals of Hockey East's playoffs, much like last year, they're likely going to land a "at-large bid", which is given to best remaining schools that didn't qualify directly for the NCAA Division 1 regional tournament.

The NCAA Division 1 regional tournament is set for later this month from March 27th to the 30th, with the four winners advancing to the Frozen Four, which is set for April 10th and 12th in St. Louis.

If Willander and BU lose in the regional tournament, in the Semi-Finals or Finals, he'll likely sign right away and the most likely date for his NHL debut will be April 2nd against the Seattle Kraken.

However, if Willander and his school make it to the Frozen Four, don't expect to see him making his debut in Vancouver until either April 14th against San Jose or April 16th against Vegas, which is their regular season finale.

In 33 games this season for Boston University, the Stockholm, Sweden native has recorded 21 points (two goals, 19 assists), eight penalty minutes and is a plus-16.