2023 NHL Draft
Tom Willander in the 2023 NHL Draft
Vancouver Canucks selected Tom Willander 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
He was the second of the 25 Swedes selected that year. It was the first of the 7 picks Vancouver Canucks made in the draft. Of the 224 players selected in 2023, 48 have played in the NHL regular season. Only 10 of them have played more games than his 86.
- Overall pick
- 11
- Round and pick
- Round 1, pick 11
- Drafting team
- VANVancouver Canucks
- Date
- Age at the draft
- 18 years
The picks around it
Picks 8–14 in the 2023 draft
- 8Ryan LeonardR98 GP · 56 PWSHWashington Capitals
- 9Nate DanielsonC40 GP · 9 PDETDetroit Red Wings
- 10Dalibor DvorskyR88 GP · 25 PSTLSt. Louis Blues
- 11Tom WillanderD86 GP · 24 PVANVancouver Canucks
- 12Daniil ButL42 GP · 11 PARIArizona Coyotes
- 13Zach BensonL226 GP · 115 PBUFBuffalo Sabres
- 14Brayden YagerC4 GP · 0 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
Games and points are NHL regular season to date.
Place in the draft class
Where he came in the 2023 class
2nd
of 25 Swedes selected
3rd
of 69 defensemen selected
Counted in draft order across the whole draft. The position is the one listed at the draft.
First Swedes selected
- 2Leo CarlssonC216 GP · 163 PANAAnaheim Ducks
- 11Tom WillanderD86 GP · 24 PVANVancouver Canucks
- 17Axel Sandin-PellikkaD75 GP · 22 PDETDetroit Red Wings
- 25Otto StenbergC35 GP · 11 PSTLSt. Louis Blues
- 29Theo LindsteinD23 GP · 6 PSTLSt. Louis Blues
- 32David EdstromCVGKVegas Golden Knights
- 39Anton WahlbergCBUFBuffalo Sabres
- 43Felix NilssonCNSHNashville Predators
- 62Felix Unger SörumR4 GP · 1 PCARCarolina Hurricanes
- 72Noel NordhLARIArizona Coyotes
+ 15 more
After the draft
The road to the NHL
Tom Willander made his NHL debut on October 28, 2025, 2 years and 122 days after the draft.
86
Games
5
Goals
19
Assists
24
Points
NHL regular season to date.
The team's draft
Vancouver Canucks picks in the 2023 draft
- 11Tom WillanderD86 GP · 24 PVANVancouver Canucks
- 75Hunter BrzustewiczD35 GP · 7 PVANVancouver Canucks
- 89Sawyer MynioDVANVancouver Canucks
- 105Ty MuellerC8 GP · 1 PVANVancouver Canucks
- 107Vilmer AlrikssonLVANVancouver Canucks
- 119Matthew PerkinsCVANVancouver Canucks
- 171Aiden CelebriniDVANVancouver Canucks