The Vancouver Canucks selected Tom Willander with the No. 11 pick in the 2023 NHL draft Wednesday.
Willander, a six-foot-one, 180-pound defenceman, had 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 39 games for Rogle BK’s under-20 team in Sweden.
The 18-year-old Swede grew up a Canucks fan thanks to countrymen Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Willander has committed to join the NCAA’s Boston University as a freshman next season.
The Canucks missed the playoffs last season for a third consecutive year after going 38-37-7 and finishing sixth in the Pacific division. They went 20-12-4 after head coach Rick Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau in January.
Vancouver is set to make six more selections, starting with No. 75, when the draft continues with Rounds 2-7 on Thursday.
General manager Patrik Allvin had spoken about the possibility of trading up in the draft order but the team opted to stay at the 11th overall pick.