However, with the numerous injuries in Vancouver, the Canucks summoned Willander after four games at the AHL level. He was sent down and recalled after Victor Mancini\u2019s injury, and made saw game action against the Rangers.<\/p>\n
Willander was paired with PO Joseph and played 12:37 minutes in his debut. He saw some power play and penalty kill time, registering two shots on goal on four shot attempts. But there were certainly some rookie moments in his game.<\/p>\n
There were instances where we caught him pinching high in the defensive zone, which allowed a Ranger all alone in front of the net.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Another example of when he pinched in the zone, which turned into a 2-on-1 headed the other way for the Rangers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
But again, this was not even 30 minutes into his first NHL game. These small mistakes are going to happen, especially for a defenceman who had five games of professional experience in North America. Of course Willander played in North America in the NCAA, but the professional ranks is different than that of Sweden.<\/p>\n
Fellow Swede Elias Pettersson went through the same challenge last year. He spoke post-game about some of the challenges for a young defenceman to learn when breaking into the NHL:<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing back for pucks,\u201d Pettersson told CanucksArmy. \u201cIn Sweden, you always try to look for a play. Here, it\u2019s much more direct, hard plays. We can\u2019t have the puck on our stick as much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forecheckers in the NHL are relentless and aggressive. On this play, Willander doesn\u2019t get the best first step and, at first, casually goes back for the puck. However, once he realizes there\u2019s a speedy Ranger coming in to pressure him, he now has to race for it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He does win the race, but has no time to do anything other than shovel the puck behind the net. The Rangers end up holding the zone and dump it back behind the net.<\/p>\n
With 39 NHL games under his belt, Pettersson has learned a bit more about puck retrievals \u2013 and you could tell. As he\u2019s going to collect the puck, Pettersson shoulder checks and sees Jonny Brodzinski coming in to pressure him. Being aware of his surroundings, Pettersson shields the puck with his body and turns away from Brodzinski, which then buys him an extra second in order to fire the puck off the glass and the Canucks get the zone exit.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what Willander will learn as he gets more games under his belt. Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote spoke post-game about the challenges for a young defenceman and mention that it\u2019s really just experience that will help iron out those details:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just need games. You look at these teams that win in the playoffs, their D \u2013 you need 200 games, 250, 300. I mean, it\u2019s just playing. He\u2019s doing great, and he plays hard. There\u2019s things that he would know better if he just got more games. It happens to every young D. I still think he plays hard and will get there, but he\u2019s also put in a situation where the minutes are up against tough opponents. That\u2019s the way it is right now; we have no choice. But hey, he\u2019ll be better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n